Dhaka [Bangladesh], February 11 (ANI): More than half a million Bangladeshi expatriates have exercised their franchise through postal ballots ahead of the country's 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum, Dhaka Tribune reported, marking the first time overseas voters have formally taken part in a national election.

Citing Election Commission (EC) data, the report said that as of 9:15 am (local time) Wednesday, 515,619 expatriates had successfully cast their votes using the IT-enabled postal voting system.

Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the OCV-SDI project overseeing expatriate voter registration, said 766,862 ballots were dispatched abroad to voters who registered via the Postal Vote BD app. Among them, 528,579 voters received their ballots, and 515,619 completed the voting process.

He further noted that 573,722 expatriates submitted their ballots at post offices or designated post boxes in their respective countries. Of these, 444,033 completed ballots have been received so far by the relevant returning officers in Bangladesh.

In total, 1,096,284 postal votes have been cast so far, including expatriates, election-duty officials, and eligible prisoners, according to the report.

In Bangladesh, 768,098 registered voters received postal ballots. Of them, 610,065 received the documents, and 586,066 completed voting. So far, 561,013 voters have deposited their ballots, while 438,095 have been delivered to returning officers, as per Dhaka Tribune

The Postal Vote BD website shows that 1,533,684 voters, both at home and abroad, registered to vote by post in the upcoming parliamentary election and referendum, the Dhaka Tribune added.

Voting is scheduled for tomorrow in Bangladesh (February 12). The results are expected to be confirmed on Friday, February 13.

The election is a pivotal moment in the country's history, with the Awami League banned from participating and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat, which is leading an alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP), along with other parties on a seat-sharing basis, as the main players.

The electoral landscape has also shifted significantly, making it challenging to predict the outcome.

The February 12 National Polls come almost two years after the July Uprising in 2024, which led to the ousting of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Constitutional Referendum, the July National Charter, is also scheduled for the same day.According to the Chief Adviser's Press Wing, a total of 394 international election observers and 197 foreign journalists have arrived in the country to observe the 13th general election.

A total of 240 observers are from bilateral countries, including independent European observers. Another 51 are individuals affiliated with different global institutions. (ANI)