The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh announced on Monday, January 26, that it will grant voting passes to 3,818 media outlets to cover the upcoming referendum and parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12. The EC’s public relations division confirmed that all government-approved media houses will receive journalist identification cards and vehicle stickers. Applications for these passes must be submitted by February 3.

According to the EC’s list, the approved outlets include 18 television online portals, 129 daily newspaper online portals, 61 regional online media, and 263 online news portals. Additionally, there are 3,347 print newspapers, comprising 1,397 dailies, 1,231 weeklies, 215 fortnightlies, 451 monthlies, and several other periodic publications. Of these, 1,422 are published in Dhaka and 1,935 outside the capital.

The EC’s decision aims to facilitate comprehensive media coverage of the national election process, ensuring access for both national and regional outlets.