Seven months after the Election Commission (EC) invited applications for the registration of new political parties ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the process remains incomplete.
Party registration was supposed to be completed in September and the accreditation of observer organisations by mid-October.
Speaking on Monday, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed acknowledged that the Commission had fallen “slightly behind schedule” in both areas.
He said progress had been slow and that 22 political parties had been initially deemed eligible, with additional field information collected. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to complete the process within this week,” he said.
On observer organisations, he said the review of domestic groups was ongoing and in some cases journalists had helped fill information gaps. “I hope the registration of observer organisations will also be completed within this week.”
The national election is expected in the first half of February, before Ramadan, with the schedule to be announced in early December. Although general preparations are advancing, the EC has lagged on party registration.
Applications opened on 10 March. After a deadline extension, 143 parties applied by 22 June. Of these, 121 were rejected for failing to meet requirements. Field investigations were carried out on 22 parties. On 30 September, the National Citizens Party (NCP) and Bangladesh National League were approved for registration.
Several applicants expressed frustration.
Masud Rana of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, known as BSD (Marxist), said the situation was “very concerning”, criticising repeated investigations and the rise in the security deposit from Tk20,000 to Tk50,000. “There should be no deposit system in elections at all.”
Sadek Ahmed Sajib, of Moulik Bangla, said the CEC and Anwarul Islam Sarkar had assured them of registration but added that the delay was “disappointing”. Jasmine Tuli, of the Electoral Reforms Commission, urged the EC to finish the work quickly and to communicate reasons for any delay.
In a meeting with Moulik Bangla on Tuesday, CEC AMM Nasir Uddin said the EC was “under multi-faceted pressure” and that field reports had not yet fully reached headquarters. He added that “the main responsibility for the investigation… lies with EC Anwarul Islam Sarkar.”
LND/SAE
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