Millions of foreigners, including migrant workers who support the country’s economy, will be able to cast their ballots for the first time in Bangladesh as the country’s Election Commission works to finally ensure their participation in the democratic process. Millions of them have been previously underrepresented in Bangladesh’s electoral system.
The Election Commission estimates that about 15 million Bangladeshi expatriates, including migrant workers, live in the Gulf, Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia – accounting for more than 10 percent of the country’s total electorate.
The Election Commission will launch postal ballots with the support of an app called Postal Vote BD to facilitate their participation. The interim government of Bangladesh, which was established after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party were toppled in a massive uprising in 2024, is one of several attempts to reform crucial state institutions, including the electoral, judicial, and legislative systems.
The interim government has scheduled highly anticipated parliamentary elections for February 2026, but experts warn that implementing an overseas voting system will be far from easy. Only four of Bangladesh’s 11 elections since the country’s independence in 1971 have been deemed “free and fair”. This is reflected in the first elections since Hasina’s government fell.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Badiul Alam Majumdar, the head of the electoral reform commission, said, “The process is like a black box. If authenticity and transparency are not upheld, the legitimacy of the entire election could be in question.” “It’s a complex task that requires extensive logistical preparation. It won’t be simple, and it won’t be universally applicable in all nations. However, you must begin somewhere. ”
Why couldn’t Bangladeshis who were abroad vote before?
The constitution of Bangladesh has never specifically forbid expatriates from casting ballots. Article 122 requires voters to be citizens of voting age who are registered to vote, but it does not specify a residency requirement. However, a 1982 ordinance required that voters “ordinarily reside” in their district.
The Electoral Rolls Act 2009, which became law in January 2009 and continues to be law today, eventually replaced that ordinance. The Act recognises Bangladeshi citizens living abroad as residents of the constituency where they last lived or where their own or ancestral home is located.
However, they did not have the means to vote, despite having the right to do so in the end. No decisions were made to allow voters to cast ballots abroad.
“Past elections became a farce – there was no genuine intention to include them,” said Majumdar.
The nation’s reform commission considered various ways to allow expatriate voting, ultimately choosing to use postal ballots supported by a mobile app.
What is the process for voting abroad?
The Postal Vote BD app, scheduled to launch by the first week of November, will allow expats to register and track their ballots.
Voters will register with the Election Commission’s website using their National ID (NID) number, which is linked to its website, according to Akhtar Ahmed, senior election commission official, who spoke to Al Jazeera.
Postal ballots will then be returned by mail to the registered overseas address in an envelope with a ballot paper and a pre-addressed envelope. The envelopes sent out to voters will bear a QR code, which confirms delivery in the app when scanned by the recipient.
Voters can then seal the ballot and deliver it from any post office after making their choice. They can monitor the progress of the return envelope by putting a barcode on it. Ballots are sent directly to the local returning officer under arrangements with the Universal Postal Union – embassies and diplomatic missions are not involved,” Ahmed added.
He skepticism about returning envelopes to Bangladesh in case of falsification. Only the returning officer will open the envelope once the vote has been cast and is sealed. Any envelope opened or intercepted in transit will be immediately apparent,” he said.
The 2024 uprising was supported by Bangladeshis working abroad?
Yes . When former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina intensified her crackdown on protesters during the July 2024 uprising, Bangladeshi migrant workers around the world launched a remittance boycott campaign in defiance. Remittances are the pay checks that Bangladeshi workers send back to their families at home; they make up the majority of Bangladesh’s economy. Expats and migrant workers returned $ 30 billion in cash to Bangladesh in the year following Hasina’s removal in the year.
Bangladeshi workers also risked arrest to join rallies throughout Gulf countries in 2024 to condemn Hasina’s actions. In the United Arab Emirates, over 100 workers were taken into custody, many of whom were later freed as a result of the interim government’s intervention.
Due to their actions, interim government policymakers have a place in discussions over reforms regarding the fair treatment and voting rights of migrant workers.
“Our migrant workers are the nation’s remittance warriors – it is their right to vote. They were instrumental in removing the autocrat, so protecting their voting rights is crucial, Majumdar said.
Could the expat vote tip the balance in Bangladesh’s upcoming election?
More than 10% of electorates are Expatriates, and they account for nearly a fifth of all voters in some constituencies. That share can tip close races in a first-past-the-post system, according to Khaled Saifullah, the NCP’s co-founder, who was inspired by the students who staged the uprising against Hasina last year.
He emphasised that the significance goes beyond numbers. Political awareness, stable finances, and a close relationship with their home districts are typical characteristics of the diaspora. Their involvement has the power to influence both voter turnout and public opinion in their home countries.
“So, the impact of expatriate voting may be felt not only in the ballot count but also in the overall mood and momentum of the election,” he added.
Bangladeshi expatriates’ newly discovered suffrage ushers the country’s electoral landscape into uncharted territory. Denied the right to vote for decades, Bangladeshi expatriates’ newfound suffrage. It opens a new campaigning window for political parties with millions of potential voters in Europe, Malaysia, and the Middle East.
The greatest challenge for political parties will be engaging with this vast overseas electorate.
On social media, misinformation and disinformation also pose challenges. Politicians like Saifullah believe that expatriates, who are typically very active online and are well-informed, can effectively defend themselves against falsehoods when given the facts.
“In that sense, they are not merely potential victims of misinformation – they are also our strongest line of defence against it,” he said.
What do politicians offer migrant workers, and what do they want?
Tahsin Shakil, a Bangladeshi migrant worker living in the Gulf, said he hoped the mistreatment many migrant workers face at airports and the dismissive attitude of embassies to problems they encounter where they live would be addressed.
He described how airport officials frequently conduct lengthy interrogations of employees, arbitrary baggage checks, and rude behavior, and embassies frequently ignore complaints or delay issuing important documents, including passports and work attestations.
We are treated like third-class citizens, he said, despite the fact that the nation’s economy depends on us.
This is what the main contenders in the upcoming election are saying about their concerns:
National Civic Party (NCP)
According to Saifullah of the student-led NCP, expats should no longer be solely measured by the value of the money they send home. “Our manifesto recognises them as partners in rebuilding the state and ambassadors of Bangladesh abroad,” he said.
His party’s manifesto calls for the establishment of diplomatic relations, end harassment at airports, embassies, and offer emergency assistance to citizens who are in trouble abroad.
Additionally, it offers direct expatriates direct access to government services, support for returnees, and a framework for their participation in policymaking, moving beyond accepting them as merely remittance senders and acknowledging their importance as key partners in national development.
“Our aim is simple: distance should not mean disenfranchisement,” Saifullah added.
Bangladesh’s Nationalist Party (BNP)
According to Saimum Parvez, a BNP member and special assistant to the Foreign Affairs Committee, the party will prioritize improving working conditions for migrant workers abroad. “The BNP envisions that every Bangladeshi embassy around the world will take on greater responsibility for the welfare of expatriates, ensuring they are no longer subjected to harassment, while also working to create jobs and strengthen bilateral trade,” he said.
He added that diaspora communities are already closely connected to the BNP. There are diaspora organizations in every country. I don’t think it will be difficult for the BNP to reach these voters though this established network worldwide.
The BNP is now firmly anchored in policy-based politics, with the goal of improving people’s lives. In the coming months, we will discuss how these policies will impact ordinary citizens’ lives, as we have already done with policies on agriculture, employment, and education. For that reason, I believe the diaspora community will vote for the BNP. ”
Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh
Shishir Manir, a Supreme Court lawyer and MP candidate for Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh, also claimed the concerns of expats were central to the party’s policies. He told Al Jazeera: “Jamaat was the first party to raise the issue of facilitating expatriate voters. I filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a directive for the Election Commission to take effective measures to enable expatriate voting, and the court accepted it.
“During my recent visits to the UK and the Gulf, I found Bangladeshi expatriates highly motivated to vote for Jamaat. We’ve got a one-stop service center for foreigners who have complex criminal and land issues. We intend to provide that because they want smoother services.
Source: Aljazeera
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