Dhaka, Oct. 19 -- The Ministry of Finance has approved around Tk40 crore to fund a project that will allow Bangladeshi expatriates to participate in the upcoming national election.

The allocation, made on 12 October, follows a September request from the Election Commission (EC) to launch the Out of Country Voting (OCV) System Development and Implementation (SDI) Project.

Officials said the approval came after the interim government decided to grant voting rights to non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs), a long-standing demand of the diaspora.

Under the EC's plan, expatriate voting will first be piloted in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the UAE, and the UK, with voting booths set up at Bangladesh embassies. Voters will register online in advance an...