Bangladeshi expats arrive in Sylhet to cast votes

A significant number of Bangladeshi expatriates have arrived in Sylhet to cast votes in the 13th national parliamentary election slated for February 12.

Abdul Mukit, President of Bangladesh Welfare Council UK, said that expatriate voting rights had been a longstanding demand. “After years of advocacy, expatriates finally have the opportunity to vote. Many have voted through postal ballots, while others travelled to Bangladesh to vote in person,” he said.

According to him, an estimated 7,000 expatriates have arrived in Bangladesh for the election, including about 5,000 from the United Kingdom. The remainder came from the United States and other countries.

Data from the Sylhet Overseas Centre shows that many people from Sylhet division’s four districts—Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj—live abroad. Around 550,000 Sylhetis reside in the UK, while nearly two million live in the Middle East and other regions.

Election Commission (EC) officials said this is the first time expatriates have been allowed to vote while residing overseas. More than 766,000 expatriates have registered under the new system, and over 400,000 postal ballots have already reached Bangladesh.

Several expatriate politicians are contesting the election. BNP-nominated candidates include UK BNP President MA Malik from Sylhet-3, UK BNP General Secretary Koyser M Ahmed from Sunamganj-3, and US expatriate Shawkat Ali Shaku from Sunamganj-2. In Sunamganj-3, Barrister Anwar Hossain, former president of the UK chapter of the Nationalist Lawyers’ Forum, is contesting as a rebel candidate, while UK expatriate Syed Talha Alam is running under the AB Party banner.

Beyond voting, expatriates are actively involved in campaigning. Md Mobarak Ali, a resident of Inverness, Scotland, said members of his extended family travelled to Bangladesh to take part in the election. “Voting as expatriates for the first time is a matter of great joy for us,” he said.

Sylhet District BNP sources said around 400–500 expatriate leaders and activists have returned for each of the district’s six constituencies. Jamaat-e-Islami sources reported that over a thousand expatriate activists have also returned, many of whom had previously left the country due to political repression.