The abolition of import duty on newsprint for the newspaper industry should be considered. View Details
(a) To allow stationary observation, so that observers may remain at the centre throughout the day, but not inside the polling booth continuously. (b) Official permission to be granted to observer organizations for pre-election observation. (c) Fake and biased observers to be banned. (d) Appointment of individual observers to be allowed. (e) Election observation reports to be used to improve future elections. (f) To make the steps from the beginning to the end of appointing international observers clear for the concerned organizations. To appoint observers according to the decision of the Commission instead of the government. (g) Journalist with valid election commission-issued cards to be allowed to enter polling stations to document irregularities, and they be allowed to use motorcycles on election day. View Details
(a) An ICT-mediated postal voting system is proposed by the Electoral System Commission to ensure transparency for expatriates. Two potential solutions are suggested in the final report. Any one solution to be selected for implementation. (b) To implement the proposed ICT-mediated postal voting system, two mobile applications “Voter App” and “Verifier App” to be developed with appropriate functionalities. These applications to be developed for both Android and iOS platforms to ensure accessibility. Additionally, a backend system to be developed for the proposed system. (c) Security of the developed mobile applications and the system to be ensured such that the data can be securely transmitted and stored in the database. This to include an access control system and immutable audit trails to ensure database security. (d) The proposed system to undergo extensive testing before being used in national elections. A three-phase trial is recommended to identify and rectify any anomalies, ensuring the system’s reliability. (e) Continuous security audits of the developed system to be conducted through one or more internationally recognized security audit firms. This will be essential to build trust in the system. (f) Training for all individuals involved in the process to be provided to ensure the efficient use of the new system. (g) The proposed ICT-mediated voting system to consider also the cases of voters residing in countries without any Bangladeshi consulate. A policy to be developed to designate a consulate as a focal point for such countries. (h) To reduce the logistical workload of consulate officials in distributing postal packages to expatriate voters, each postal package to be prepared in Bangladesh and then distributed to consulates. Consulate officials to then use the local postal service in their respective countries to deliver the packages to expatriate voters. (i) An effective timeline to be established to complete all activities related to the postal voting, from registration to securely storing election-related ballots in treasury vaults, in all constituencies. (j) Although the proposed system is designed for expatriate voters, it may be adapted for domestic absentee voters with minimal modifications. However, concerns about the reliability of the postal service in the country pose a significant challenge. To address this, a reliable courier service capable of tracking postal packages to be used to deliver the packages to voters and later return them to the returning officers. View Details
The election schedule to be re-adjusted for allocating longer time period for scrutinising affidavits, completing the appeal process and finalising the candidature, and less time for campaigning to reduce candidates’ election expenses. View Details
Necessary immediate measures to be initiated to provide updated photo-enabled NID smart cards to all citizens included in the voter list, so that these smart cards can be used for voter identification. View Details
National Identity Registration Act 2023, that transferred the responsibility of NID management to the Ministry of Home Affair, to be immediately repealed. View Details
The Commission to be responsible for providing protection to candidates and their electoral and polling agents during election. View Details
