The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Political parties must be registered to take part in the ensuing parliamentary elections and no party would be allowed to contest the polls without registration, sources in the Election Commission (EC) said.

According to the Representation of People Ordinance (RPO) (Amendment) 2008, promulgated by President Dr Iajuddin Ahmed recently, political parties would not be allowed to maintain front organisations, including students and teachers organisations, trade unions, professional bodies and any branch abroad to get registration.

Any convicted war criminal could not take part in the polls. The intending candidates should have to be included in the voter list in the area concerned.

Sources said the EC would sit on Monday next to discuss the RPO and the process for registration of political parties would begin following the meeting.

According to the amended RPO, no party candidate could submit nomination paper without the permission of Chairperson or General Secretary of party concerned.

Every candidate should be nominated by any political party or he/she could be able to contest the polls as an independent candidate by

submitting nomination paper with support of 1 per cent of voter of the area concerned, it said.

Sources said registered political parties can form alliance to contest the elections. However, it did not mention whether any unregistered party could form such alliance.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain yesterday told reporters that the Commission received the RPO.

"I am yet to see the RPO. It will be discussed at a meeting on Monday and it will follow registration of political parties," he said.

Meanwhile, Election Commission Secretary M Humayun Kabir yesterday told reporters that the Commission would publish the final voter list of Dhaka City Corporations (DCC) area by September 4.

Asked about the reported registration of about 80 people in the voter list from a single address in Mohammadpur area in the city, he admitted the incident saying that such incident could have taken place initially in the current voter lists.

The EC Secretary assured that if more than five people are registered as voters from a single address, the Commission would investigate into the matter.

"Such over duplications, if any, could be detected and corrected when the initial voter lists would be incorporated in the computer server," he said.