The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Election Commission has taken a hasty move to register some minor political parties, including highly controversial ones, without giving people the chance to raise objection about those.

On the eve of ending the party registration process tomorrow (Monday), the EC yesterday sent two parties for public notification to ascertain if there are any objections about those. The parties are Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP-Naziur) and Bangladesh NAP.

Public notification for Oikkyabaddho Nagorik Andolon, an overnight floated party by a foreign funded NGO- Proshika, will be issued at the last moment, so that none can get chance to argue against it, sources in the EC said.

By misusing huge foreign funds, the NGO is hurriedly hiring party offices at different places of the country to fulfil the criterion for registration with the EC, it is reported.

The employees of the NGO are allegedly being forced to join the newly floated party. However, the EC will not go for further inquiry at the field level for scrutinizing the political parties' information.

In the earlier cases of registrations, citizens were given enough times, at least a week, to raise objections and place their arguments.

The Election Commission has so far found 22 political parties eligible for getting registered with the EC as per changed politico-electoral rules out of a long list of 107 who have applied for the registration.

Fourteen parties have so far received registration certificates from the EC, with eight more ready to be certified.

"Another handful of parties also look likely to be registered after scrutiny of their applications is complete," said EC joint secretary and technical committee head NI Khan.

The commission is proceeding to complete the process of party registration within November 10 by stamping its seal on the qualifying parties to contest the ninth parliamentary elections.

"We'll stop registering the political parties within November 10, although the process will actually not end," Nurul Islam Khan, joint secretary of the EC secretariat, said yesterday.

He said the technical committee does not want to further continue with the inquiry at the field level for securitizing the political parties' information. "We're thinking about not continuing the scrutiny in the field level anymore."

"Non-registered political parties will be barred from upcoming elections, but they will be free to do politics," he added.

The 14 parties so far registered are: Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party (Ershad), Jamaat-e-Islami, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu), Liberal Democratic Party, Bikalpadhara, Jatiya Party (JP), Krishak-Sramik Janata League, Samyabadi Dal, Ganatantri Party and National Awami Party (Muzaffar).

The eight parties ready for registration are: Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Tarikat Federation, BSD, Bangladesh Jatiyo Party (BJP), Khelafat Andolon, Zaker Party, Islami Oikya Jote, and NAP (Enamul).

EC deputy secretary Mihir Sarwar Morshed told reporters, "Some 141 symbols have been set aside for the upcoming elections. Besides the ones earmarked for the registered parties the rest will be distributed among independent candidates."