Ahmed Deepto

The Election Commission’s first-ever initiative to digitally register Bangladeshi expatriates and allow them to vote through postal ballots has sparked controversy, with the BNP raising concerns over the process.

They grew up hearing that voting was their right, only to watch how easily that right could be snatched away in elections widely criticised as “sham polls”.

Aspirants from 51 of the country’s 59 registered political parties have filed nomination papers for the national election scheduled for February 12, according to Election Commission data.

Political parties are locked in fevered, last-minute negotiations to settle their line-ups for the February 12 polls, as today marks the final deadline for submitting nomination papers to the Election Commission.

The Election Commission yesterday rolled out a detailed security plan to ensure a peaceful and orderly environment during the national polls and referendum, including a five-day deployment of the armed forces.

The number of foreign observers preparing to monitor the February 12 polls has already exceeded those of the last three national elections

The Election Commission yesterday termed the shooting incident involving Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson for Inqilab Moncho and an independent aspirant for the Dhaka-8 constituency, an “isolated” event.

The Election Commission last night instructed the police to strengthen security at all of its field-level offices.