As part of the ongoing process to register new political parties ahead of the upcoming national elections, the Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has begun sending letters to 82 additional parties, including the National Citizens` Party (NCP), requesting them to submit missing documents and fulfill registration requirements.
Md Mahbub Alam Shah, Deputy Secretary of the EC, confirmed the development on Sunday (20 July), saying, “We previously sent letters to 62 parties in the first phase. Now, in the second phase, we have started sending letters to another 82 parties. Each party has been given 15 days to respond.”
Earlier, on 20 April, the EC issued a public notice inviting applications from political parties seeking registration.
Although the initial deadline passed, the commission later extended the deadline until 22 June in response to requests from parties including the NCP. By that time, a total of 144 political parties had submitted 147 applications.
According to electoral laws, a party must meet several criteria to qualify for registration. These include having a central committee, functional committees in at least one-third of all districts and in 100 upazilas, and demonstrating support from 200 voters in each of these areas.
Additionally, any party that has previously elected a Member of Parliament or secured at least 5% of the vote in past elections may also qualify. The application process must also comply with various procedural requirements.
Once the EC receives applications, it conducts a preliminary review. This is followed by field-level verification of the submitted information.
The commission then publishes a list of parties meeting the basic requirements and invites objections or claims.
If any objections are raised, a formal hearing is held. If there are no objections or if they are resolved, the party is granted official registration.
Without registration, a political party is not allowed to field candidates under its own symbol in the elections.
