The Election Commission (EC) is struggling to finalise a method for allowing nearly 10 million Bangladeshi expatriates to vote in the 13th parliamentary election, amid major technological, legal, and logistical challenges.

Despite years of political pledges and strong demand from the diaspora, the commission is yet to finalise a practical and trustworthy method for expatriate voting. Over time, a range of options – including postal ballots, online voting, and proxy voting – have been explored, but none has emerged as fully secure, reliable, or inclusive.

In recent weeks, the EC received technical assessments from three of the country’s leading institutions: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka University (DU), and the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).

These reports examined the feasibility of the proposed voting systems but stopped short of offering a definitive solution, citing concerns around security, scalability, voter verification, and legal complexities.

“The process of introducing voting rights for expatriates requires careful consideration and strategic planning,” said KM Ali Newaz, additional secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat.

“We have to adopt a voting method for expatriates that ensures credibility and earns the trust of all stakeholders.

“This voting method has not been implemented before, so we intend to introduce expatriate voting on a small scale initially,” he added, underlining the caution with which the EC is approaching this unprecedented challenge.

The Election Commission is scheduled to hold a seminar with representatives of political parties, journalists and other stakeholders today, following a review of the reports from BUET, DU, and MIST.

Some 157 participants are expected to be invited to the event, which will be attended by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and the four other election commissioners.

To ensure a more structured approach, the EC has formed a 12-member advisory team led by Prof Dr Md Monirul Islam, head of BUET’s advisory team. The team includes former government officials, ICT specialists, and academics, who have been tasked with analysing the advantages, limitations, and vulnerabilities of each voting method and drafting a set of practical recommendations.

According to EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, the expert panel has already submitted its initial reports, with specialists from DU, BUET, and MIST addressing the technical nuances of postal, online, and proxy voting options. Their analysis will form the basis of the upcoming national dialogue, where stakeholders – ranging from political parties and media professionals to civil society members and government officials – will be invited to share their views.

Among the invitees are representatives from around 50 registered and unregistered political parties, heads of the Election System and Local Government Reform Commissions, journalists covering election affairs, and officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Expatriates’ Welfare, and Parliamentary Affairs, alongside election experts and civil society figures.

The exact format, duration, and agenda of the dialogue will be finalised during the Commission’s upcoming meeting, once the technical findings have been thoroughly reviewed.

The advisory team, coordinated by Md Rafiqul Haque, system manager of the EC’s ICT Division, includes 10 other members: Retired Major General Wahid-uz-Zaman, former commandant of MIST; Brig Gen (retd) Salim Ahmad Khan, former director general of the National Identity Registration Wing; Mohammad Zakaria, former acting secretary of the Election Commission; Md Faruq Ahmed, joint secretary of the EC’s Legal Division; Prof Mostafizur Rahman from DU’s CSE Department; the director general of the Postal Department; an administrator from BASIS; the director general (consular & welfare) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Lt Col Mohammad Nazrul Islam, associate professor at MIST; and a senior system analyst from the EC’s ICT Division.

While the Election Commission’s intentions are clear, the clock is ticking. Implementation will not only demand legal reforms but also a significant amount of logistical groundwork, system testing, and public awareness campaigns – none of which can be rushed.

Sources within the EC caution that if a method is not finalised by mid-2025, the possibility of incorporating expatriate votes into the next general election may become increasingly unrealistic.