Bangladesh CEC Reports 180 Million People Lack Voting Rights

Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), AMM Nasir Uddin, addressed the most important issue of the country on Sunday—the deprivation of voting rights of nearly 180 million people. The CEC said that the EC is determined to put an end to this deprivation and allow all citizens to exercise their franchise in the future elections.

The statement was made at the inauguration ceremony of a training program for election officers before a nationwide update of voter lists.

The CEC expressed profound concern over the issue, reiterating the determination of the Election Commission to put things right. “We want to remove the pain of their deprivation. We are committed,” Uddin said.

Update To Voter List In January

The countrywide door-to-door data collection campaign for updating the voter list will start from January 20. CEC noted that the aim of the Election Commission is to see that these 180 million people, who had long been deprived of their right to vote, will finally get a chance to exercise their franchise in the elections to come.

“We have taken the responsibility so that we can remove their deprivation,” he added. He further reiterated that the main objective of the EC is to organize a fair, free, and credible election. “It’s a marathon race beginning from today up to the delivery of the result,” Uddin remarked.

Commitment To Free And Fair Elections

The CEC’s address underlined the EC’s commitment to providing Bangladesh with a credible election process. “Our goal, commitment, and promises to the nation is to present a free, fair, and credible election as the nation has been deprived of it for so long,” Uddin declared.

With these goals in mind, the EC has decided to thoroughly investigate malpractices and weaknesses in previous elections. Among them are review processes held for the controversial 2014, 2018, and 2024 national elections: it was in these elections that the Awami League government is implicated by voters’ complaints with committing election fraud and vote suppression. These were some of the most disputed elections in the country’s history.

Preparation For 13th National Election

The newly elected Election Commission, with effect from November 21, has already begun implementing several reform measures to further improve the electoral process. In preparation for the 13th National Election, the commission is keen on transparency and fairness in all its elections activities.

The CEC also said that the Awami League, led by the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, may still participate in the elections unless a government or judicial ban is issued against the party.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, sworn in as head of the interim government after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina in August, said in his Victory Day speech on December 16 that the elections could occur as early as mid-2026. “Broadly speaking, the election can be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026,” Yunus said. However, he added that the voter list had to be revised before the election.

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