BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday alleged widespread irregularities in the preparation, distribution and use of postal ballots, saying the complaints raise serious questions about the transparency of the election process.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Election Commission (EC) Secretary at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, Ahmed said this was Bangladesh’s first initiative to introduce voting rights for expatriates, and some mistakes might be expected. However, he claimed that the nature of the complaints suggests that certain activities may have been carried out in favour of a particular political party.
He said discussions during the meeting focused on legal aspects of the election and the code of conduct. Referring to videos and images circulating on social media, Ahmed claimed that in some cases 200 to 300 ballots were found in single residences. He added that ballots had reportedly been seized in some areas, voting was alleged to have already begun in others, and there were incidents where ballots sent in one person’s name were received by someone else.
Ahmed said the Election Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must clearly explain the process used to send ballots to expatriate voters, how they are supposed to cast their votes, where ballots are scanned, and who will be held responsible if large numbers of ballots are found at one location. He said the EC informed them that it was reviewing the issues and could provide explanations as early as Thursday if necessary.
On the issue of the code of conduct, Ahmed said that to increase voter participation, voter slips should include the voter number as well as the names and symbols of candidates. He pointed out that current rules prohibit the inclusion of party names or candidate photos on voter slips, a provision he said should be reconsidered. According to him, the Election Commission has the authority to amend this rule on its own.
He argued that providing voter slips does not amount to influencing voters, as voters ultimately decide whom to vote for, and said the election process should focus on assisting voters rather than making it more complicated.
Ahmed also alleged selective enforcement of the code of conduct. He said that at the Election Commission’s request, BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman had previously postponed a scheduled visit over alleged violations, even though it was not a political campaign. However, he claimed that despite alleged violations by leaders of other political parties, the Election Commission has remained silent, which BNP has taken note of.
Regarding the postal ballot system, Ahmed said BNP had proposed using the same general ballot paper containing the names and symbols of all candidates in a constituency as the postal ballot for that area. He said this would eliminate the need to print separate symbol-specific ballots for different constituencies and reduce complexity. He added that the Election Commission had assured them it would consider the proposal positively.
Others present at the meeting included BNP Chairperson’s adviser Ismail Zabiullah, former Election Commission Secretary Dr. Mohammad Zakaria, and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal, head of BNP’s Legal Aid Subcommittee.
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