United News of Bangladesh

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday (14th January 2026) clarified a viral video showing a large number of postal ballots delivered to a single address in Bahrain, saying the incident resulted from differences in the country’s postal delivery system and did not involve any irregularities in the voting process. EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed made the clarification while responding to a question from reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the evening. Asked about the viral video showing many postal ballots reaching the same address, he said Bangladesh’s postal ballots are being sent through the Universal Postal Union (UPU) with the assistance of the Bangladesh Postal Department. “This has happened in the case of Bahrain as the postal systems of some countries including the Middle East are different. There, about 160 ballots have been left in one place in one box,” he said. Read more: Over 15 lakh people register for postal voting: EC Akhtar Ahmed explained that the delivery system there is similar to student hostels, where letters are kept at a designated place and recipients collect their own mail from there. “Some 160 (postal) ballots were placed in a box. Later, the expatriate Bangladeshi brothers opened the box and divided it among four or five people—whoever lives in the room next to them takes it or delivers it,” he said. The EC Secretary said a video of the process was recorded and circulated, which he personally thinks should not have been done. “From what we understand, someone posted the video out of excitement at receiving a ballot paper. If you observe carefully, there is no evidence that any envelope was opened.” Akhtar Ahmed said the matter was immediately communicated to Bahrain Post, which clarified that the ballots were not delivered directly by them. The Bangladesh Ambassador in Bahrain is also overseeing the issue. “Bahrain Post has informed us that they will conduct an on-site investigation and report back.” Earlier on Tuesday, the BNP raised concerns before the Election Commission over the viral video related to the distribution of postal ballots in Bahrain. A four-member BNP delegation, led by Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of the party’s Central Election Steering Committee, placed their concerns during a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Nazrul Islam Khan alleged irregularities in the overseas distribution of postal ballots, claiming that videos circulating on social media showed leaders of a particular political party handling a large number of ballot papers in Bahrain. Read more: Over 1.53m voters register for postal balloting: Shafiqul Alam He said the Election Commission informed them that the matter had already come to its notice and that the Bangladeshi Ambassador in Bahrain had been contacted. The Commission assured the BNP delegation that further investigation would be conducted and appropriate action would be taken based on the findings. On Tuesday, BNP raised concern before the Election Commission over the viral video regarding the distribution of postal ballots in Bahrain. A four-member BNP delegation, led by BNP’s Central Election Steering Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan, raised the concern and allegation at a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Nazrul Islam alleged that the video circulating on social media shows leaders of a particular political party handling a large number of ballot papers in Bahrain. He said the EC told them that the issue has come to their notice and already contacted the Bangladeshi ambassador in Bahrain. The Commission assured the BNP team that further investigation would be conducted and action would be taken based on the findings. A total of 1,533,683 voters have registered to vote through postal ballots, of whom some 772,000 are expatriate Bangladeshis residing in different countries across the world. The 13th national parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on February 12 next. Read more: Bangladesh Polls: Registration time for postal voting extended till Jan 5

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is not a voter, but he could still become one if the Election Commission (EC) makes a decision in this regard, said Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Monday (December 01). “As far as I know, he is not a voter,” he said, replying to a question from reporters at a press briefing in the city's Nirbachan Bhaban. No legal barrier to Tarique Rahman’s return, says Law Adviser Responding to another question whether Tarique Rahman can contest elections without being a voter, he replied, “He can, if the Commission decides so.” When journalists asked under which legal provision such a decision could be made, Akhtar Ahmed said, “Please check the Electoral Rolls Voter Registration Act.” Then he was asked whether the possibility of being allowed to be a voter applies only to Tarique Rahman. In response, the EC Secretary said it can be applicable for anyone. “Why are you identifying one person individually? It could apply to you as well,” he said. Speaking about the voter list, Akhtar Ahmed said the persons who turned 18 by October 31, 2025, have been included in the voter rolls. Read more: Only Dr Zahid to brief media on Khaleda’s health: BNP “We’ve finalised the voter lists. At this stage, seven fields—name, father’s name, mother’s name, occupation, date of birth, voter address and photograph—cannot be changed,” he said. After the finalisation of the voter list, he said, the Commission may consider reopening these seven fields for corrections if a decision is taken to do so. The EC Secretary said after the finalisation of the voter lists, the NID correction option may be considered if the Commission takes a decision to do so. However, several things can still be corrected now, he said. Read more: No objection to Tarique’s return, says govt

The Election Commission has sent the draft voter registration (amendment) act to the Law Ministry, seeking authority to determine a logical cut-off date for the inclusion of new voters in the electoral roll ahead of the national election. "We have proposed changes in the existing law to determine the date until which voters can be included in the voter list (before the election),” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed while talking to reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban on Thursday. The EC’s move came in a bid to ensure the voting rights of a larger number of youths in the 13th parliamentary election. He said the proposed change would allow the Commission to determine a logical cut-off date based on its consideration in a formal meeting —to include new voters ahead of the polls. “The Election Commission will determine the date as the cut-off time considering the election schedule and the date of symbol allocation. We’ve sent an amendment proposal to the Law Ministry in this regard,” said the secretary. CEC meets CA Prof Yunus About the delimitation of constituencies, Akhtar said the EC has received applications over 76 parliamentary constituencies out of 300 ones—some applications sought changes in the existing boundaries, while others asked to retain the current boundaries. “We will assess both types of the applications. We will do whatever seems logical to us based on the variables such as population, geographic location and administrative boundaries. The review is still going on and nothing has been finalised yet,” he said, adding that the EC will have to finish the process soon. The EC is also preparing for necessary procurement to hold the next general election. “We expect to begin procurement procedures by September,” he said. Party Registration Akhtar Ahmed said the deadline for new political party registration expired on June 22. “We received a total of 147 applications from 144 parties. Three parties submitted more than one application,” he said. BNP to begin seat-sharing talks with allies after election schedule: Khosru Now 20 EC officials are engaged in the preliminary scrutiny of these applications, he said, adding that the number of election symbols will go up, but the final decision in this regard will be taken by the Commission.