The authorities have eased the rules for dual citizens to become a voter in Bangladesh.
The Election Commission has said Bangladeshis, who also have citizenship of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a number of other countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, will not require to collect and show a dual citizenship certificate to become a voter, bdnews24.com reports.
The other countries and regions on the list include Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
Foreigners who have received Bangladeshi citizenship through marriage will need to collect a citizenship certificate from the home ministry.
In a notice to its local offices on Wednesday, the commission also ordered officials to prioritise the registration of expatriate Bangladeshi voters and be careful so that the expats do not face trouble in the registration process, said Mosharraf Hossain, an official at the EC Secretariat.
The work to make a voter roll with photos and distribute national ID cards began in 2007-2008.
NID is required for citizens to avail at least 20 types of services, but expatriate Bangladeshis have been alleging harassment in getting the cards since the beginning of the process.
The three past commissions issued different types of instructions to enrol expatriates as voters. The commission in 2018 stipulated that dual citizens would require a certificate to become a voter.
Officials said many dual citizens, who need services related to land ownership and other issues, ignored the rule while some of them alleged harassment in getting the certificates.
Therefore, the officials said, the recently appointed EC, led by Kazi Habibul Awal, has cancelled the rule requiring the dual citizens to collect a certificate.
