The Election Commission asked the authorities to initiate the services in the countries before the next parliamentary election
Published : 21 Aug 2023, 04:42 PM
The Election Commission has decided to prioritise the distribution of national ID cards to Bangladeshi migrant workers in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia over a month after the services were launched in the United Arab Emirates.
EC Secretary Md Jahangir Alam disclosed the decision on Monday after a commission meeting headed by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal.
Awal said the foreign ministry had requested the commission to initiate the services in the UK and Saudi Arabia, marking the decision as a significant milestone after the services were launched in the UAE following a three-and-a-half-year effort.
The government started to provide online NID services for the first time to Bangladeshi expatriates abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authorities launched the service in the UAE in July last year after the services were launched earlier in six other countries.
Jahangir expressed his hope to initiate the NID card distribution in the UK and Saudi before the next parliamentary election.
The Awal-led commission instructed the authorities to speed up the process.
The Election Commission said it will also take steps to encourage candidates to submit online nomination papers in the next general election.