EC targets 50 lakh expat voters, costing Tk400cr

The Election Commission (EC) is aiming to register 50 lakh expatriate voters for the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections.

Regarding the cost for such a move, EC officials have said the full process will cost a total of Tk 400 crores. 

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, "There is no clear count of how many expatriates are in various countries. After talking to organisations that work with expatriates, it is estimated that there are around 1 crore 40 lakh expatriates. Among them, around 70 per cent have Bangladeshi NIDs. Therefore, we are hoping for 50 lakh expat voters."

After collecting information from several organisations such as the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET),  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), the EC has found that there are 40 countries with a large number of Bangladeshi expatriates, and they are aiming for expatriate voters from those countries.

The EC plans to complete the app for expatriate voter registration in November this year and then start a campaign for registration. In time, expatriate voters can submit their vote through a postal ballot. 

Expatriate voters will submit their postal ballot at least 20 days before the polls are conducted in Bangladesh. 

Only the expatriates who possess an NID will have this chance, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said.