Dhaka, Jan. 10 -- For the first time in Bangladesh's electoral history, expatriate citizens have signed up to vote via a mobile app, signalling a small technological leap with potentially big democratic implications.

Over 750,000 overseas Bangladeshis have now enrolled, joining a global diaspora of more than 12.5 million -- though this still represents just over six percent of those eligible abroad.

The Election Commission (EC) regards the milestone as a "success", yet attention now turns to how many postal ballots will actually be cast.

Alongside expatriates, three categories of domestic voters can also register for postal ballots via the "Postal Vote BD" app: election officials, government employees working outside their constituenci...