Dhaka, Nov 28 (V7N) — A total of 70,660 expatriate Bangladeshis have registered to vote by postal ballot for the 13th National Parliament Election so far, the Election Commission (EC) reported on Friday. Among them, 59,510 are male and 11,150 are female voters.

The registrations were completed through the Postal Vote BD app by 11:30 am on Friday. Country-wise, the largest number of registrations came from the United States (14,236), followed by South Korea (9,075), Canada (7,087), Japan (6,452), Australia (6,027), and South Africa (4,480).

Earlier, the registration process was temporarily suspended in seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, due to incomplete or incorrect address information in the app, which was launched for the first time for expatriate voters. EC Secretariat Director Md. Ruhul Amin Mallick said efforts are underway to resume registration in these countries by Friday.

Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed explained that initially, expatriate voters were divided into eight regions, with a five-day registration period for each region, but this restriction has now been lifted.

Expatriates can now register from anywhere in the world at any time until 11:59 am on December 18. To register, voters must use the mobile number of the country from which they plan to vote.

Voters are required to download the Postal Vote BD app from Google Play Store or App Store. The app allows users to select Bengali or English, view required documents, and follow instructions. Providing the correct address is essential to ensure the ballot is received abroad.

The EC emphasized that this initiative is part of its effort to facilitate participation of expatriate Bangladeshis in the national elections and ensure a smooth postal voting process.

END/SMA/AJ