Staff Reporter:
The Election Commission (EC) has issued a stern warning that no irregularities or deviations regarding the postal ballots of expatriate voters living abroad will be tolerated.
The National Identity Cards (NID) of any expatriate involved in such irregularities will be locked, and if necessary, measures will be taken to repatriate them to the country to face legal action, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah told journalists on Thursday.
The election commissioner said that videos of postal ballots from Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait have recently surfaced on social media. However, no major irregularities have occurred so far.
He said, “Yesterday, Wednesday, we spoke with all the embassies. No mercy will be shown if there is even the slightest deviation regarding postal ballots. Along with strict punitive measures, the process of locking the concerned individuals’ NIDs and, if necessary, repatriating them to the country will be initiated.”
New restrictions on ballot distribution
To ensure electoral transparency, the election commissioner announced changes to the ballot handover process. He said that in Bahrain, the authorities concerned will no longer issue postal ballots until the recipient presents their CPR (Central Population Registry) identity card. Similarly, in Oman, officials have been instructed to verify the passport of the concerned individual before handing over the ballot.
Complications with addresses have surfaced in the Middle East and Malaysia, as many expatriate workers reside in the same accommodation facilities or labour camps.
According to the EC, 14,891 voters used addresses where more than 100 people are registered at a single location to receive postal ballots. Additionally, due to incorrect or incomplete addresses, 4,521 ballots have been returned to Bangladesh so far.
Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah stated, “If possible, the original ballots will be utilized.” The Election Commission will make a final decision regarding this matter on Friday.
It is worth noting that as of yesterday, 140,873 expatriate voters residing in various countries across the world have received their postal ballots.
