Bangladesh - November 2025

Ahead of the anticipated February 2026 election, the Bangladesh Election Commission launched a voting system to assist Bangladeshi expatriates to vote for the first time. Previously, expatriates had the right to vote, but no proper process to do so, with voting confined to in-person ballots in Bangladesh or limited paper-based ballots for certain groups. The postal ballots will now be supported by a mobile app called Postal Vote BD, whereby expatriates can register online, receive a physical ballot by mail, and then return the completed ballot to the Election Commission. According to the Election Commission, the new system aims to widen the franchise to its diaspora, potentially benefiting 15 million Bangladeshi citizens living abroad, including migrant workers. Experts note that it remains to be seen how the overseas voting system will be implemented.

Sources: Dhaka Tribune (1), Dhaka Tribune (2), Al Jazeera