Although the Election Commission (EC) is leaning towards the introduction of a ‘proxy voting’ method on a larger scale among three proposed postal ballot, online voting and proxy voting mechanisms for collecting votes from expatriates, political parties on Tuesday expressed concerns about potential risks and flaws associated with it.
Several parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party-NCP, Gono Odhikar Parishad, AB-- raised concerns over the security, flaws and reality of the proxy voting system—particularly the issue of vote reflection, where a proxy might not represent the real choice of the voter.
BNP said they would review all three options within its party forum and send its opinion to the EC.
The political parties raised their respective stances over the voting rights of the expatriates at a seminar in Nirbachan Bhaban.
The EC arranged the seminar to explore feasible options for enabling expatriate Bangladeshis to exercise their voting rights in the next national election.
Representatives from at least 21 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat and NCP, along with election experts, technical specialists participated in the discussion.
Though different suggestions came at the seminar, but the EC finally asked the political parties to send their written opinion by May 15 over the balloting system for the Bangladeshi diaspora community living in various countries.
In the closing speech of the seminar in the afternoon, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said the participants raised very valuable opinions. “We are trying to select an appropriate method. InshaAllah, we will give importance to your opinions," he said.
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan emphasised the need to consider passports along with national identity (NID) cards to ensure inclusivity as many expatriates still lack NIDs.
He said BNP had proposed expatriate voting rights as early as 2014, during discussions over amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO).
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Noting that BNP has been supporting the voting rights of the expatriates, Nazrul Islam Khan said, “We fully support this initiative (taken by the current EC).”
The BNP leader said they will discussion the three methods – postal, online and proxy balloting-- in their party forum and will send their opinion.
"No system in the world is foolproof. If it is foolproof, there is no need for reform or revolution. We will consider and agree on the process that is easiest, most understandable, most acceptable to the majority of people, and most cost-effective," said Nazrul Islam Khan.
Jamaat leader Jasim Uddin Sarkar described the EC’s effort as a “good initiative” saying that it will have to go forward through trial and error.
He said they would inform their final opinion discussing the matter in their party forum.
Another Jamaat leader, Matiur Rahman Akand, questioned the reflection of the proxy voting. If a person prefers candidate X, but his proxy person votes for candidate Y, then it would not be the real reflection of the voter’s choice, he said.
NCC joint convener Khaled Saifullah said a lot of interest from expatriates to vote has been seen after the mass uprising. “Our expectation from the EC is that it will make every effort to ensure their voting rights," he said.
Noting that trust is important in any method either it online or postal balloting, he said, “We’ve doubt over the proxy balloting.”
The NCP leader said if there is a proxy voting, there may be larger number of votes collected (from the expatriates) in some places. In that case, it could be a threat. “We will discuss it in the party forum and give our opinion to the EC," he said.
Rashed Khan of Gono Odhikar Parishad echoed similar concerns and said they will inform the EC the opinion discussing it in the party forum.
"My mother votes for one party and my father votes for another party. In this case, we need to think about how to ensure security through proxy voting," he said.
AB Party’s Abbas Islam Khan suggested that the EC must also consider passport holders, particularly in Western countries, where many expatriates lack NIDs.
He also pointed to cybersecurity issues in online voting and said proxy voting in Bangladesh could be highly risky.
The CEC in the inaugural speech said the Election Commission’s initiatives to facilitate expatriate voting will prove ineffective without the active support of political parties.
“We want to introduce a feasible option. We seek your support. Even on a small scale, we want to begin the journey…if political leaders do not support us, all our exercises will end in futility,” he said.
When they took office, the CEC said, they pledged to introduce a voting system for expatriates. “We’re committed, and so is the chief adviser to the nation.”
Reiterating his call for political support, he said, “If political leaders do not support us, it will all end in futility.”
He expressed hope that balloting for expatriates could be introduced—at least on a small scale—in the next national election. “We want to start in the next election, at least in a limited way. Many countries have tried but couldn’t sustain it. Some succeeded, some didn’t. But we want to begin—hopefully with your support.”
In his address to the nation on December 16, 2024, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said the government is determined to ensure that expatriate Bangladeshis are able to exercise their right to vote.
Following the chief adviser’s commitment, the EC is currently exploring three balloting options—proxy, postal and online voting.