DHAKA, April 11, 2023 (BSS) - Twelve political parties out of 93, which applied for registration with the Election Commission (EC), have fulfilled the primary requirements of the registration process.
 
The registration for these political parties will be finalised by next June as the EC will visit the field level offices of the parties, said EC Secretary Jahangir Alam while disclosing the information at the EC office at Agargaon today.

According to the EC, 93 political parties had applied for registration. 
The 12 political parties are AB Party (Amar Bangladesh Party), Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM), Bangladesh Humanist Party (BHP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Nagorik Oikya, Bangladesh Sanatan Party, Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP), Bangladesh Labour Party, Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP), Bangladesh People's Party (BPP), Democratic Party and Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP).

The EC secretary said of the 93 applications, the concerned committee recommended the cancellation of the applications of 14, while two parties withdrew their applications. 

Later, the remaining 77 parties were given 15 days to provide additional documents and of them 19 parties could not submit necessary papers within 15 days, Alam added.

 Ten parties sought additional times and the EC also gave them time but later, 31 applications were cancelled, he added. 

Jahangir Alam said the EC committee scrutinized the remaining 46 applications but the submitted papers of 31 parties were not in line with the EC's rules. So, the committee cancelled the 31 applications. 

The Representation of the People Order (RPO) in Bangladesh requires political parties to register with the commission to contest elections. Without registration, parties can take part in different political and social activities but are not allowed to take part in elections.

To register, a party has to deposit Taka 5,000 as a fee, and is required to meet at least one condition out of the following three with supporting documentation.

A new party needs to have an active central office, a central committee, offices in at least one-third of the administrative districts, and a memorandum of endorsement from a minimum of 200 voters as its members in each Upazila/metropolitan area.

Having at least one member of the party who had won in a previous general election took place after the independence of Bangladesh.

Securing at least five per cent of total votes cast in the constituencies in which its candidates took part in any of the post-independence general elections.