Expatriates Urged to Send Postal Ballots by January 25
On Saturday, January 24, Faiz Ahmed, Senior Assistant Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, issued this call through his official social media handle. He noted that according to Election Commission (EC) regulations, all ballot papers must reach the respective Returning Officers by 4:30 PM on February 12. Any ballots arriving after the stipulated deadline will not be included in the final count.
According to Election Commission sources, over 1.53 million voters have registered to cast their votes through postal ballots this year. For expatriate voters, a deadline of January 25 has been set to submit their completed ballots to the post office to ensure timely arrival.
Meanwhile, the EC has issued strict guidelines to maintain transparency in the storage and management of postal ballots. A circular signed by Deputy Secretary Mohammad Monir Hossain states that one ballot box will be used for every 400 postal ballots. Each box must be sealed with four locks in the presence of candidates or their authorized agents, with the lock and box numbers read aloud and recorded prior to sealing.
In a further move to regulate electioneering, the Commission has set a maximum sound limit of 60 decibels for the use of loudspeakers by candidates. Returning Officers have been instructed to take stern action against any violations of this noise level regulation.
