The Election Commission (EC) has formed committees to ensure that Rohingya refugees from Myanmar do not interfere in the voter list updating process.
The committees, led by upaziala nirbahi officers (UNOs), will have to provide a recommendation before anyone can be included in the updated voter list.
The decision to form the committees was taken during a meeting of the Central Coordination Committee on the updated voter list, held at the conference room of the Election Commission Secretariat at Agargaon on Thursday.
After the meeting, EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed told media that adequate measures would be taken so that the Rohingya and other foreign citizens could not become voters.
“There are Rohingyas in 32 upazilas. Committees have been formed in these areas, under the leadership of the upazila nirbahi officer concerned, and no one can enroll in the voter list without the committees’ recommendations. In addition, the Women and Children Affairs Ministry has been asked to collect information for registration,” he added.
The EC secretary also said that the Islamic Foundation has been asked to raise awareness of the registration process among their followers, while the Local Government Division has been tasked with raising the interest of voters through local chairmen, mayors, and councilors.
Furthermore, the EC’s information collectors will travel to 65 remote areas to collect voter information, and they will be given necessary security. Identity cards will help the information collection.
In response to a question, the EC secretary said members of the third gender will be included in a separate voter list, and iris scans and finger prints would be taken from them as with other voters.
The Election Commission will begin updating the voter list by going door-to-door fromm April 23- May 13.
