The Advisory Council approved the draft ordinance amending the voter list regulation, allowing citizens who turn 18 at least one month before the national election schedule is announced to be eligible for voter registration.
The final approval came during a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus at his office on Thursday.
Later, Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy that both the policy and final approval of the draft ordinance had been given.
Explaining the change, Foyez noted that under previous rules, only citizens who turned 18 by December of a given year were included in the updated voter list published in January. The draft list used to be published on January 2, followed by the final list on March 2 each year.
However, those who became eligible to vote after the final list was published but before the national election were excluded from voting and had to wait for the next election. The new provision enables the Election Commission to register voters who turn 18 at least one month before the election schedule is announced.
The ordinance aims to ensure a more inclusive electoral process by narrowing the gap between voter eligibility and the announcement of the election schedule.
In another development, the Advisory Council also gave final approval to the draft of the Human Organ Transplantation Ordinance-2025, pending vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.
Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the law has been modernized in line with international standards, expanding the definition of “close relatives” for organ donors and allowing organ donations beyond immediate family members.
“This will simplify kidney and other organ transplants. Many people wish to donate their bodies after death, and the law now outlines how those organs can be used,” he said, adding that people may no longer need to travel abroad for kidney transplants.
Additionally, the Advisory Council approved the draft of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Amendment) Ordinance-2025, which would allow the authority to recruit individuals from outside the organization.
