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Dhaka, April 28, 2025 – The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh is set to formulate a strategy to identify and remove Rohingya refugees from the voter lists across all unions in Cox’s Bazar district. The decision follows concerns over the illegal inclusion of non-citizens in the electoral rolls, with a key meeting scheduled for April 30 to finalize the approach.
According to a letter signed by EC Deputy Secretary (Establishment) Shah Alam, the EC’s fourth commission meeting will take place at 10:30 AM on April 30, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin. The agenda includes addressing a High Court writ petition (No. 4615/2024), which mandates a thorough verification of voter lists in Cox’s Bazar to ensure no Rohingya refugees are included. The meeting will focus on determining a concrete plan to scrub these lists of ineligible voters.
The issue has gained urgency after CEC Nasir Uddin, during a recent voter list update inspection in Cox’s Bazar, noted that some individuals were being added to the voter rolls with “dishonest intentions.” He also highlighted a troubling trend where some Bangladeshi citizens falsely identify as Rohingya to access relief aid, further complicating the identification process.
EC officials emphasized that not only Cox’s Bazar but the entire greater Chattogram region is designated as a “special area,” where voter registration is governed by stricter guidelines to prevent unauthorized inclusions. Despite these measures, some Rohingya have managed to infiltrate the voter lists. The EC has previously undertaken proactive campaigns to detect and remove such entries, but the problem persists.
The EC’s efforts align with Bangladesh’s Electoral Rolls Act 2009, which explicitly restricts voter registration to Bangladeshi citizens. The commission has warned that assisting non-citizens, including Rohingya, to obtain National Identity Cards (NIDs) or enroll as voters is a punishable offense under both the Electoral Rolls Act and the National Identity Registration Act 2010.
The upcoming meeting is expected to outline a robust verification process, potentially involving cross-referencing voter data with refugee camp records and stricter documentation requirements. This move underscores the EC’s commitment to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the general elections, tentatively scheduled for December 2025 or June 2026.
AI/MR
