FE REPORT
The Election Commission (EC) is considering introducing three voting options to enable the expatriate Bangladeshis to exercise their franchise in the next national election.
The systems are postal ballot, online voting and proxy voting, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah said on Wednesday.
"The EC has pondered over different voting systems to include the non-resident Bangladeshis for the first time," he said noting that the selection of a suitable voting system was first discussed at a committee level before being presented to the EC.
He came up with the statements at a press conference at the EC headquarters in the city's Agargaon area on Wednesday. The event was organised to brief media about the updates following a workshop on Tuesday.
The workshop was attended by experts from different institutions including Dhaka University (DU), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), as well as representatives from ministries, departments, and government and non-government organisations. They highlighted the three alternative voting methods for the expatriates.
Mr. Sanaullah further said that a committee will be formed with the participants while the EC's next step is to constitute an advisory team comprising those who took part in the workshop.
"They will review the successes and weaknesses of the three methods and take measures to overcome the weaknesses," he said, adding that the EC will hold a discussion with the stakeholders later.
After analysing the voting system for expatriate citizens of 178 democratic nations, the EC has found that 115 countries practice different forms of voting systems for non-resident citizens, he said.
"Considering the pros and cons of all the available polling mechanisms, the EC has shortlisted three systems. They, however, are not free from loopholes.
"Each of three shortlisted systems has both strengths and weaknesses," he said, adding that the expert committee will decide the next course of actions.
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