Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Fazal Md Sanaullah has said the Election Commission (EC) is thinking about introducing a proxy voting system in a bid to ensure the franchise of expatriate Bangladeshis in the upcoming national election, reports bdnews24.com.
"In the next election, if we really want to fulfill the expectations and keep what the Chief Adviser (CA) said we want to fulfill the expectations of the expatriates; then we will have to go for proxy voting system… but the final decision depends on a consensus among political parties and other stakeholders," he said while taking to reporters at Nirbachon Bhaban in the capital on Tuesday.
Sanaullah is the head of a committee formed by the EC to examine the balloting systems to ensure the application of voting rights of the expatriate Bangladeshis.
He said the CA, in his address to the nation on December 16, specifically said this time they want to ensure the votes of expatriate Bangladeshis. "This time, we want to implement, not just assure. We want to invent a reliable system," the chief adviser was quoted as saying.
In light of the Chief Adviser, the EC has given the responsibility to the concerned committee to submit a proposal in this regard, said the Election Commissioner.
"The Election Commission is making every effort to bring expatriate Bangladeshis under the voting system," he said.
The committee examined three balloting systems for expatriates - postal balloting system, online balloting system and proxy balloting system.
About the postal system, he said, their (committee's) finding is that the postal system is currently a dysfunctional system for expatriates. "That is why not a single vote was cast by an expatriate in the last 12th parliamentary elections. A total of 433 votes were cast from the people within Bangladesh," he added.
About the online voting system, the Election Commissioner said online voting has not become very popular in different countries.
