Dual citizenship major problem for expatriates to be voters: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda today said there are many problems, including dual citizenship, to enlist the expatriate Bangladeshis as voters.

"The expatriate Bangladeshis are now able to cast their vote through the proxy and postal methods...Huge publicity will be conducted about these methods before the next polls so that they can cast their votes. But the dual citizenship is the main problem to enlist them as a voters," he said at a seminar titled "Distribution of National Identity Cards among Expatriate Bangladeshis and Exercising Their Franchise" at a hotel in the city.

Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Advisor Masiur Rahman, Election Commissioners (EC) Mahbub Talukder, Md Rafiqul Islam, Begum Kabita Khanam and Brigadier General (Retd) Shahdat Hossain, former EC Brigadier General (Retd) Shakhawat Hossain, BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan, Director General (Consular) of Foreign Ministry Nahida Rahman Sumona, Bangladesh Ambassador to Italy Abdus Sobhan Shikdar, Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Golam Masiha, Bangladesh Ambassador to Malaysia Shafiqul Islam and Begum Rokeya University Vice Chancellor Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, among others, addressed the seminar with EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed in the chair.

National Identity Registration Wing Director General Brigadier General Mohammad Saidul Islam presented a keynote paper in the seminar.

CEC Huda said over one crore Bangladeshi people live abroad and there is a demand to ensure their right of voting.

Saidul Islam, in his keynote paper, said that the expatriate Bangladeshis should get the opportunity to exercise their voting rights on experimental basis in the next general polls.

He suggested setting up local server and machineries at embassies for registration of the expatriate Bangladeshis and to employ skilled IT officials for their registration.