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None of the 144 political parties that applied for registration with the Election Commission (EC) have passed the initial screening process. Various discrepancies and errors were found in their applications. The EC will send letters to these parties, asking them to submit the necessary documents to rectify the issues.On Tuesday (July 15), EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz shared this information with the media. He stated that in the first phase, 62 parties will receive letters to address the errors in their applications. Subsequently, the remaining parties will also be notified in the same manner. The parties have been given 15 days to correct the discrepancies and submit the required documents. Earlier, the EC had issued a public notice accepting applications for registration until April 20. However, due to applications from parties like the Jatiya Nagrik Party, the deadline was extended to June 22. Within this period, a total of 144 parties submitted 147 applications. According to the law, to register as a political party, a party must have a central committee, functional committees in at least one-third of the districts, and 100 upazilas across the country. Each committee must provide evidence of support from at least 200 voters. Additionally, a party qualifies for registration if any of its members have previously been elected as a Member of Parliament or if the party secured at least five percent of the votes in a previous election. Beyond these primary conditions, other rules and procedures must also be followed, which the EC carefully considers during the initial screening. After receiving applications, the EC conducts an initial review, followed by field verification of the parties’ information. Subsequently, the EC publishes a notice for claims and objections. If objections arise, they are resolved through hearings. If no objections are raised, the EC issues a registration certificate to the party. Without registration, a party cannot contest elections under its own symbol. Currently, 51 parties (including Awami League) are registered with the EC. The registration system was introduced before the ninth parliamentary election in 2008. Although 55 parties have received EC registration to date, five parties—Jamaat-e-Islami, Freedom Party, United Citizens Movement, PDP, and JAGPA—had their registrations canceled due to failure to meet conditions or comply with court orders. Recently, following court orders, Jamaat-e-Islami and JAGPA regained their registrations, but the EC has only restored Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration.
