Candidates restored after Feb 8 will not appear on postal ballots, says EC

Names and symbols of candidates restored after the period will be omitted from all postal ballots, EC says

The Election Commission (EC) has clarified that candidates added to the list after Feb 8 will not have their names or symbols included on postal ballots, the Election Commission (EC) says.

The decision came after a discussion on Thursday.

The parliamentary elections and referendum are scheduled for Feb 12.

By Feb 8, the process of sending over 750,000 postal ballots within the country is under way, each containing constituency-wise candidate names and symbols.

Postal ballots from overseas are arriving in Bangladesh.

Of 118 symbols available to expatriate voters, over 55,000 ballot papers have already returned from more than 550,000 registered overseas voters.

The original deadline for candidate withdrawals was Jan 20, but several candidates regained their nominations through court orders.

Currently, 2,017 candidates are contesting across 300 constituencies.

The late addition of candidates has created postal ballot complications in some areas.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, “The question was how long new candidates can be added to ensure their inclusion in postal ballots.

He clarified: “If candidacy is restored after Feb 8, postal ballots will not apply to them, because there is insufficient time to print, send, and receive ballots back from returning officers.”

This ruling ensures that postal ballots reflect finalised candidate lists while maintaining the integrity and timeline of the electoral process.