The Election Commission (EC) has received approval to initiate the voter registration process and issue national identity cards (NIDs) in five countries including the United States.
The other four countries are-Maldives, Jordan, South Africa and Oman.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted the approval through an official consent letter sent to the EC on Wednesday.
The letter, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Shakera Ahmed, confirmed that the EC is authorized to begin voter registration and NID issuance in these countries, specifying Los Angeles as the designated location in the United States.
The EC has been requested to take necessary steps to move forward with the implementation of the registration process in the approved countries.
Earlier, on July 2, Md. Abdul Momin Sarkar, Director (Registration and Expatriates) of the Election Commission’s National Identity Registration Division, signed a letter addressed to the Foreign Secretary concerning the “Consent to start the process of registering voters abroad and issuing national identity cards to Bangladeshi citizens living abroad.”
The letter stated that the Election Commission Secretariat has adopted a plan to issue national identity cards to Bangladeshi citizens residing in 40 countries around the world.
With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ consent, voter registration and NID issuance have already begun in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, and Canada.
Among the remaining 31 countries, the United States, Oman, Jordan, South Africa, and the Maldives received consent on Wednesday to begin registering expatriate voters.
The countries still awaiting for consent are Bahrain, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Egypt, Romania, Mauritius, Iraq, Greece, Spain, Germany, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Brazil, China, Indonesia, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey, and Cyprus.
Cox’s Bazar Life Desk/BSS
