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Published : 29 Apr 2025, 09:18 PM
Although the Election Commission (EC) is in favour of introducing a proxy voting system as one of the three potential methods to include non-resident Bangladeshis in the upcoming elections, political parties are divided over the potential risks and flaws of the process.
During a seminar hosted by the EC on Tuesday, political stakeholders discussed the feasibility of various voting options for Bangladeshis living abroad. The commission has requested all parties to submit their formal opinions in writing by May 15.
While the BNP asked for some time to discuss the issue with party members before taking a decision, several other parties – including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), the AB Party, and the Gono Odhikar Parishad – highlighted concerns about the proxy selection process and security issues it may incur.
In his concluding remarks, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said they are working to identify the most appropriate method and will certainly consider the parties’ views.
He also indicated that parties would be invited again, ahead of the upcoming general election, saying: “Political parties are our key stakeholders. We will continue to seek your cooperation and feedback.”
The seminar, titled “Developing a Voting System for Expatriate Bangladeshis”, was held at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon.
The EC aims to try out at least one method for expats, whether postal ballots, online voting, or proxy voting, on a limited scale during the 13th parliamentary election.
At least 21 political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat, and the NCP, attended the seminar.
The BNP is in favour of expatriate voting, but will formally decide on a preferred method, whether postal, online, or proxy, after discussing in the party forum by May 15.
BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan emphasised that both National ID and passports should be accepted, as many lack NIDs, and reaffirmed the BNP’s long standing support for expats’ voting rights.
Jamaat-e-Islami welcomed the initiative for expatriate voting, but stressed the need for careful implementation through trial and error.
While acknowledging their lack of trust with the EC over the past 15 years, they flagged concerns over proxy voting and said their final decisions would follow internal party discussions.
The National Citizens' Party (NCP) is in favour of the system as well, emphasising that trust is key when enabling expatriate voting, particularly with concerns around proxies.
The NCP is also preparing to launch a ‘Diaspora Alliance’ to better organise Bangladeshis abroad.
The Gono Odhikar Parishad echoed NCP’s opinion, planning to decide after internal dialogues due to security concerns in proxy voting.
The AB Party stressed that expats who lack NIDs should be able to vote with their passports, especially those in Western countries. They also expressed worries over data security in online voting, highlighting NID server data breaches.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) noted that all three proposed voting methods have pros and cons, urging the EC to consider the impact of 15m expat voters in the upcoming elections.
Nagorik Oikya focused on avoiding the mistakes that come with rushing a process, and the Bangladesh Labour Party said they are not interested in postal voting at all.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish said they would discuss the matter within their respective party forums before announcing their opinions. The same decision was taken by the JaSaD general secretary.
Bangladesh Congress and Bangladesh Sanskritic Muktijot, or Bangladesh Cultural Liberation Alliance, opposed the idea of proxy voting.
The Bangladesh Muslim League urged all parties to reach a consensus before implementing expat voting methods, agreeing to accept any potential errors that may arise from their collective decision.
