DHAKA, Dec 28, 2025 (BSS) - The Election Commission (EC) has dispatched 338,697 postal ballots to Bangladeshi expatriate voters in different countries over the past nine days, enabling them to participate in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum.

Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the Out of Country Voting System Development and Implementation (OCV-SDI) project for expatriate voter registration, confirmed the information to BSS today.

He said the number of postal voters inside the country is likely to increase substantially, noting that registrations by government employees, election-duty officials and voters in legal custody could reach nearly one million.

He also expressed optimism that the total number of registered expatriate voters may exceed six lakh.

According to EC sources, 45,550 postal ballots were sent to expatriate voters in Saudi Arabia on Saturday alone.

Earlier on Friday, the EC dispatched 57,360 postal ballots worldwide, with Saudi Arabia receiving the highest number at 22,000.

On Thursday, 10,999 ballots were sent to the United Arab Emirates, 3,500 to the United Kingdom, 900 to Kuwait and 17,500 to Saudi Arabia.

EC officials said a total of 338,697 postal ballots have so far been dispatched globally over the last nine days as part of the commission's initiative to ensure voting access for expatriate Bangladeshis.