Bangladesh mulls online voting

The Election Commission (EC) here is considering allowing poll-time officials to vote online, even though general elections in Bangladesh see voters exercise their right to franchise only through the ballot.

The law will, however, have to be amended before the system can be introduced, bdnews 24 reported Monday.

"More than 500,000 officials and law-enforcers are on duty during elections and don't get the chance to cast their own votes," said Abdul Wadud, EC deputy secretary, when asked why the option was being considered despite there being an opposition to even EVMs.

But the idea is yet to be placed in a meeting and the next step would have to wait until the commission's technical wing is able to provide the needed support.

An earlier commission had introduced Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the 2010 city corporation poll.

The system was later used in the municipal poll as well, but the authorities, faced with political opposition to the new voting procedure, ultimately rescinded the decision to use EVMs.

Meanwhile, the process is on to amend the law and use EVMs in union council polls.

But the present commission, headed by Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, has said that EVMs would not be used in the national election because of political opposition.