Article 122 Who can register as a voter
Qualifications for registration as voter
This Article is the constitutional basis of a citizen's right to vote. Knowing the criteria helps people check that they, and their family members, are properly enrolled before an election.
Rahim, a citizen living in Rajshahi, turns eighteen this year. Under Article 122 he now meets the age requirement for adult franchise and can apply to be enrolled on the electoral roll for the constituency where he lives, even though he owns no property.
Rahim gives his details to the Election Commission's registration team during the voter list update, and his photograph and fingerprints are taken. Officials check his citizenship and that he lives in, or is deemed by law to be resident in, the constituency.
Enrolment is refused only on the grounds the Constitution and law allow, such as a court declaration of unsound mind or a conviction under the 1972 Collaborators Order. None applies, so Rahim's name goes on the roll.
At the next parliamentary election Rahim finds his name on the printed list at his polling centre, collects his ballot paper and votes in secret. His right to do so flows from adult franchise under Article 122(1) and his entry on the roll.
In plain English
How Article 122 works
Article 122 sets the basic rules for who can vote in parliamentary elections. Elections are based on adult franchise, meaning every adult citizen, not just property owners or the educated. To be enrolled for a constituency a person must be a citizen of Bangladesh, at least eighteen years old, not declared by a court to be of unsound mind, and resident in that constituency, or treated by law as resident. A person convicted under the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order 1972 is excluded. Being on the roll is what entitles someone to cast a vote.
In practice
Voter registration is run under the Electoral Rolls Act and the national identity system, both administered by the Election Commission. Disputes usually concern people left off the roll or wrongly included, and are handled through claims and objections before the registration officer. The present wording of the disqualifications, including the one linked to the 1972 Collaborators Order, was substituted by the Fifteenth Amendment in 2011. Bangladeshis abroad remain entitled to be enrolled if they are deemed by law to be resident in a constituency, while how they cast their votes is a matter for election law. The minimum age of eighteen has not changed since 1972.
The text
What Article 122 says
122. (1) The elections [* * *] to Parliament shall be on the basis of adult franchise.
(2) A person shall be entitled to be enrolled on the electoral roll for a constituency delimited for the purpose of election to the Parliament, if he -
(a) is a citizen of Bangladesh;
(b) is not less than eighteen years of age;
[(c) does not stand declared by a competent court to be of unsound mind ;
(d) is or is deemed by law to be a resident of that constituency ; and
(e) has not been convicted of any offence under the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order, 1972 .]
[* * *]
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. The Bangla text is authoritative (Article 153). Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
History
Amendments
- Fourth Amendment 1975 →Amended, as listed by Banglapedia; the detailed wording could not be checked against the Act text.
- Twelfth Amendment 1991 →Removed the references to elections to the offices of President and Vice-President and omitted clause (3).
- Fifteenth Amendment 2011 →Substituted sub-clauses (c) to (e), including the disqualification for persons convicted under the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order 1972.
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 122: frequently asked questions
What is the voting age in Bangladesh?
Eighteen. Article 122(2)(b) says a person must be not less than eighteen years of age to be enrolled on the electoral roll for a parliamentary constituency, along with being a citizen and resident of the constituency.
Who cannot vote in Bangladesh?
A person who is not a citizen, is under eighteen, has been declared of unsound mind by a competent court, is not resident in the constituency, or has been convicted under the Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order 1972 cannot be enrolled under Article 122.
Can Bangladeshis living abroad vote?
They can be enrolled if they are citizens deemed by law to be resident in a constituency. Whether, and how, they can actually cast a vote from abroad depends on the election laws and Election Commission arrangements in force for each election.
Sources
This guide explains the Constitution for general understanding. It is not legal advice. Constitutional reform proposals under discussion in 2026 are described as proposals until enacted.
Constitutional and writ practice
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