The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Awami League (AL) yesterday submitted application to get registered with the Election Commission (EC) and demanded to scrap the EC's authority to cancel candidature in parliamentary poll. It suggested to hold another round of talks with the EC regarding the issue.

An AL delegation led by the party's office secretary Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan and deputy office secretary BM Mozammel Haque submitted the application to the EC along with the amended party constitution.

Jasmine Tuli, Deputy Secretary to the EC Secretariat, received the application shortly before 3 pm. Earlier Syed Ashraful Islam in the morning scrutinised all the necessary papers for registration in the Dhanmondi office and then he submitted those papers to the AL Acting president Zillur Rahman in Gulshan for his signature.

Abdul Mannan said, "We have submitted the application along with the party constitution, including the draft amendments, and other necessary documents in line with new electoral law."

The EC welcomed the AL's application for registration, along with a draft of its amended constitution.

Election Commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain said the application for registration by AL was very inspirable.

"We are really happy that AL has applied for registration. We hope that BNP and other political parties will apply before the deadline," he noted.

About the much talked issue of retaining associate organisations, Sakhawat said that the EC did not have any problem with associated organisations, if the party wanted get registered by hiding its associated organisations in the party constitution.

Awami League Central Working Committee (ALCWC) approved amendments to its constitution on October 13 keeping associate organisations and foreign chapter.

According to the amendments of the party, the associate organisations will run according to their own constitution and AL's central working committee will have no control in running them and the overseas units will be run according to rules and regulations the host countries.