United News of Bangladesh

The Election Commission (EC) has directed its field-level officials to expedite the disposal of pending voter registration applications submitted by Bangladeshi expatriates. The EC issued the directive to upazila and thana election offices, asking them to complete the local verification process of expatriate applicants without further delay. The applications remained pending mainly due to their engagement in the recent 13th parliamentary election. The directive was signed by Khan Abi Shahanur Khan, Director (Registration and Expatriates) of the EC’s NID Wing, on Tuesday (March 3),. The EC in an official letter already sent to all thana and upazila election officers said the 13th parliamentary election was held on February 12, and officials at all levels worked tirelessly to ensure a free, fair and credible election, which was widely accepted both locally and internationally. The EC expressed gratitude to field-level officers and staff for their tireless hard work to make the election fair and credible. However, it said that due to their involvement in election duties, the local verification activities of a significant number of expatriate voter applications remain pending. As biometric data are collected at Bangladesh High Commissions, embassies, consulates and mission offices abroad, the local investigation is carried out by the respective upazila and thana election offices in Bangladesh. The EC has now instructed the officials to treat the matter as “highly urgent” and complete the pending verifications promptly. According to EC officials, the commission has planned to expand the expatriate voter registration and National Identity (NID) services to 40 countries. The services now continue in 11 countries — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. So, the Commission has planned to expand the services in more 29 countries including Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, Sudan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Egypt, Brunei, Mauritius, Iraq, Greece, Spain, Germany, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Brazil, China, Indonesia, the Maldives, New Zealand, Russia, Türkiye and Cyprus.