The National Identity Registration Act, 2023 (Act No. 40 of 2023), which assigned the national identity registration process to the Election Commission (EC), has officially been repealed. A senior Election Commission official confirmed this development on Thursday, January 16.
Prior to this announcement, on Wednesday, January 15, a letter concerning the repeal was sent to several key officials, including the Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Secretary to the Chief Advisor, the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Secretary of the Law and Justice Division.
According to Election Commission officials, the Awami League government enacted the National Identity Registration Act in 2023 to transfer the NID registration process from the EC to the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The law stipulated that until the transfer was officially completed and a government notification was issued, the NID registration process would remain under the Election Commission's jurisdiction. Consequently, the process has continued to operate under the EC to this day.
From the beginning, interim government advisors, members of civil society, and the general public have consistently demanded that the NID registration process remain under the Election Commission's control. They have also strongly advocated for repealing the 2023 law. Responding to these calls, the law was finally repealed on Thursday.