In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the four parliamentary constituencies of Cox’s Bazar district received a total of 28,630 postal ballot votes.
Irfan Ul Hasan, Assistant Commissioner of the Cox’s Bazar District Administration and officer in charge of the postal voting process, confirmed the information on Tuesday.
For the first time, expatriate voters, government and private-sector employees, and prisoners were able to vote by postal ballot via online registration. After the nationwide voting concludes on 12 February, vote counting will begin at 4:30 pm, and the Election Commission will simultaneously publish the postal voting results.
Constituency-wise postal votes
According to the Cox’s Bazar District Election Office, 9,635 postal votes were cast in Cox’s Bazar–1 (Chakaria–Pekua), 4,212 in Cox’s Bazar–2 (Maheshkhali–Kutubdia), 10,917 in Cox’s Bazar–3 (Sadar–Ramu–Eidgaon), and 3,866 in Cox’s Bazar–4 (Ukhia–Teknaf). Among the four constituencies, Cox’s Bazar–3 recorded the highest number of postal votes.
The district administration said postal ballots will be counted at the Cox’s Bazar Indoor Stadium after 4:30 pm on 12 February. The process will follow the same procedures as regular vote counting. Presiding officers, polling officers, and support staff have already been appointed and trained. One support officer will be assigned for every 300 votes.
In line with Election Commission guidelines, candidates may observe the counting process either in person or through appointed agents. The counting venue will be under CCTV surveillance.
Officials said ballot boxes will be opened after verification via scanning, and counting will be conducted with full transparency. Ballots marked “Yes” in the referendum on constitutional reform and the July Charter will be counted separately.
Participation of expatriates and prisoners
For the first time, expatriates living in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany voted through postal ballots. However, officials could not provide country-wise figures.
While stakeholders have described the Election Commission’s initiative as a landmark step, many expatriates have complained that, due to limited publicity, a significant number of potential voters were unable to participate in postal voting.
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Collected
