Dhaka, Bangladesh – Long overlooked in Bangladesh’s electoral system, millions of expatriates – including migrant workers who underpin the nation’s economy – will be able to vote in national elections for the first time, as the country’s Election Commission moves to finally ensure their participation in the democratic process.
The Election Commission estimates that about 15 million Bangladeshi expatriates, including migrant workers, live in the Gulf, Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia – accounting for more than 10 percent of the country’s total electorate.
To facilitate their participation, the Election Commission will launch postal ballots, supported by an app called Postal Vote BD. This is one of several moves to reform key state institutions, including the electoral, judicial, and legislative systems, by Bangladesh’s interim government, which was formed after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party were toppled in a mass uprising in 2024.
The interim government has scheduled highly anticipated parliamentary elections for February 2026, but experts warn that implementing an overseas voting system will be far from easy. A lot is riding on the first elections since the fall of Hasina’s government: Only four of Bangladesh’s 11 elections since the country’s independence in 1971 have been considered “free and fair”.
“The process is like a black box – if authenticity and transparency are not maintained, the credibility of the entire election could be called into question,” said Badiul Alam Majumdar, chief of the electoral reform commission, in an interview with Al Jazeera. “It’s a complex task that requires extensive logistical preparation. It won’t be easy, nor can it be implemented in all countries within one election cycle. But you have to start somewhere.”
Why couldn’t Bangladeshi expatriates vote before?
Bangladesh’s constitution has never explicitly barred expatriates from voting. Article 122 requires voters to be citizens of voting age who are registered to vote, but it does not specify a residency requirement. However, a 1982 ordinance added that voters must “ordinarily reside” in their constituency.
That ordinance was eventually repealed with the introduction of the Electoral Rolls Act 2009, which came into force in January 2009 and remains the current law. The Act recognises Bangladeshi citizens living abroad as residents of the constituency where they last lived or where their own or ancestral home is located.
However, while expats finally had the right to vote, they did not have the means to do so. No steps were taken to enable expatriates to actually vote.
“Past elections became a farce – there was no genuine intention to include them,” said Majumdar.
Following Hasina’s removal, the country’s reform commission has considered various methods to enable expatriate voting, ultimately settling on postal ballots supported by a mobile app.
How will expat voting work?
The Postal Vote BD app, scheduled to launch by the first week of November, will allow expats to register and track their ballots.
“Voters will register via the app using their National ID (NID) number, which is linked to the Election Commission’s server to determine their constituency,” Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission, told Al Jazeera.
Postal ballots will then be sent to the registered overseas address in an envelope containing a ballot paper and a pre-addressed envelope to return it by post. The envelopes sent out to voters will bear a QR code, which confirms delivery in the app when scanned by the recipient.
“After marking their choice, voters seal the ballot and send it from any post office. A barcode on the return envelope allows them to track its progress. Ballots are sent directly to the local returning officer under arrangements with the Universal Postal Union – embassies and diplomatic missions are not involved,” Ahmed added.
He dismissed concerns about envelopes being tampered with on their way back to Bangladesh. “Once the vote is cast and sealed in the envelope, only the returning officer will open it. Any envelope opened or intercepted in transit will be immediately apparent,” he said.
Did Bangladeshi workers overseas support the 2024 uprising?
Yes. When former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina intensified her crackdown on protesters during the July 2024 uprising, Bangladeshi migrant workers around the world launched a remittance boycott campaign in defiance. Remittances are the paycheques earned overseas which Bangladeshi workers send back to their families at home – these form a large part of Bangladesh’s economy. In the financial year following Hasina’s removal, expats and migrant workers sent a record $30bn back to Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi workers also risked arrest to join rallies throughout Gulf countries in 2024 to condemn Hasina’s actions. More than 100 workers were detained in the United Arab Emirates, many of whom were later released after the newly installed interim government intervened.
As a result of their actions, debates about the fair treatment and voting rights of migrant workers have become central to discussions among interim government policymakers over reforms.
“Our migrant workers are the nation’s remittance warriors – it is their right to vote. They played a vital role in ousting the autocrat, so securing their voting rights is essential,” Majumdar said.
People stream coloured smoke and wave flags as they celebrate the first anniversary since student-led protests toppled Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Manik Mia Avenue, outside the parliament building, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 5, 2025 [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]
Could the expat vote tip the balance in Bangladesh’s upcoming election?
“Expatriate voters make up more than 10 percent of the electorate, and in some constituencies they account for nearly a fifth of total voters. In a first-past-the-post system, that share can tip close races,” said Khaled Saifullah, joint convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by the students who led the uprising against Hasina last year.
He emphasised that the significance goes beyond numbers. The diaspora tends to be politically aware, financially stable and closely connected to their home districts. Their participation can influence families and communities back home, shaping both turnout and public opinion.
“So, the impact of expatriate voting may be felt not only in the ballot count but also in the overall mood and momentum of the election,” he added.
Denied the right to vote for decades, Bangladeshi expatriates’ newfound suffrage ushers the country’s electoral landscape into uncharted territory. For political parties, it opens a new campaigning frontier with millions of potential voters across the Middle East, Malaysia and Europe.
The greatest challenge for political parties will be engaging with this vast overseas electorate.
Misinformation and disinformation on social media also pose challenges. However, politicians like Saifullah believe that when armed with facts, expatriates, who tend to be very active online and are well-informed, demonstrate a good ability to counter falsehoods themselves.
“In that sense, they are not merely potential victims of misinformation – they are also our strongest line of defence against it,” he said.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supporters hold a protest rally at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 18, 2025, as part of coordinated protests with other Islamic parties pressing a common set of demands, including holding the national election in February under the July Charter [MD Abu Sufian Jewel/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
What do migrant workers want – and what are politicians offering them?
Tahsin Shakil, a Bangladeshi migrant worker living in the Gulf, said he hoped the mistreatment many migrant workers face at airports and the dismissive attitude of embassies to problems they encounter where they live would be addressed.
He described how workers are often subjected to long interrogations at the airports, arbitrary baggage checks, and rude behaviour by airport officials, while embassies frequently ignore their complaints or delay issuing essential documents such as passports and work attestations.
“The country’s economy depends on us, but we are treated like third-class citizens,” he said.
This is what the main contenders in the upcoming election are saying about their concerns:
National Citizenship Party (NCP)
Saifullah, of the student-led NCP, said expats should no longer be viewed solely in terms of the value of the remittances they send home. “Our manifesto recognises them as partners in rebuilding the state and ambassadors of Bangladesh abroad,” he said.
His party’s manifesto pledges to secure expatriate voting rights, end harassment at embassies and airports, and provide emergency support for citizens in distress overseas.
It also promises digital access to public services, support for returnees, and a framework for direct expatriate participation in policymaking – moving beyond seeing expatriates as only remittance senders to recognising them as key partners in national development.
“Our aim is simple: distance should not mean disenfranchisement,” Saifullah added.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
Saimum Parvez, a member of the BNP and special assistant on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the party would prioritise making conditions better for migrant workers overseas. “The BNP envisions that every Bangladeshi embassy around the world will take on greater responsibility for the welfare of expatriates, ensuring they are no longer subjected to harassment, while also working to create jobs and strengthen bilateral trade,” he said.
He added that the BNP is already closely involved with diaspora communities. “The BNP has diaspora committees across the world. I don’t think it will be difficult for the BNP to reach these voters though this established network worldwide.
“The BNP is now highly focused on policy-based politics, aiming to improve people’s lives. We have already presented policies on agriculture, employment, and education, and in the coming months, we will detail how these will transform the lives of ordinary citizens. For that reason, I believe the diaspora community will vote for the BNP.”
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
Shishir Manir, a Supreme Court lawyer and MP candidate for Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, also claimed the concerns of expats were central to the party’s policies. He told Al Jazeera: “Jamaat was the first party to raise the issue of facilitating expatriate voters. I filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a directive for the Election Commission to take effective measures to enable expatriate voting, and the court accepted it.
“During my recent visits to the UK and the Gulf, I found Bangladeshi expatriates highly motivated to vote for Jamaat. We are proposing a one-stop service centre for expatriates who face complex land and criminal cases. They want smoother services, and we intend to provide that.
“We also aim to create a conducive environment that encourages expatriates to invest back home. Many of them have expressed concern over the mismanagement and mistreatment surrounding baggage handling at Dhaka airport – we will address these issues as well.”
