The National Citizens Party (NCP) has called on the Election Commission of Bangladesh to guarantee voting rights for expatriates, urging officials to provide a clear roadmap and regular updates for Bangladeshis living abroad.
On Wednesday, an NCP delegation met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the commission’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. After the meeting, NCP Joint Convener Khaled Saifullah briefed reporters about the discussions.
“Expatriate Bangladeshis are contacting us regarding voting rights,” Saifullah said. “They are frustrated about the uncertainty. Our Chief Adviser, Professor Mohammad Yunus, has said voting rights for expatriates must be established, but we have not seen any concrete update from the Election Commission. Some political leaders are still unsure whether citizens abroad will be able to vote.”
He suggested the commission host weekly online briefings to keep overseas voters informed. According to him, many expatriates lack National ID cards and are not yet registered to vote. While the Election Commission recently announced that voter registration would begin in 14 countries, he said many Bangladeshis abroad do not know how to participate.
“That’s why we came here,” Saifullah explained. “We requested a specific roadmap so that our brothers and sisters overseas can exercise their voting rights.”
The party also discussed its registration and electoral symbol. Saifullah said the NCP has requested the water lily as its symbol and believes it is eligible to receive it. He noted the party has already submitted 43,000 pages of documentation for registration, though the Election Commission flagged some minor technical issues.
“Our deadline is August 3,” he said. “We will fix the errors and submit everything before that.”
The meeting included NCP Joint Member Secretary Advocate Zahirul Islam Musa and NCP Diaspora Alliance Global Coordinator Tariq Adnan Moon.
The Election Commission has yet to issue a public statement addressing NCP’s requests.
