6 new parties set to receive final EC registration

Staff reporter:

Six new political parties, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Aam Janaaz Party, Bangladesh Nezami Islam Party, and Bangladesh Jatiya League, are set to receive Election Commission (EC) registration, bringing the total number of registered parties to 57 ahead of the 13th National Parliament elections.

EC sources said files of six parties have been prepared for final approval after verifying 22 applications, with a public notice to follow once confirmed.

Of the rest, 10 will face re-investigation and six have been rejected Earlier this month, EC Additional Secretary Ali Newaz conducted hearings on September 14-15 with representatives of 20 parties to review their eligibility.

The current process began when the EC invited applications for registration, as it routinely does ahead of national elections.

This year, a record 143 new parties applied. However, in the first round of scrutiny, none fully met the requirements.

The EC granted applicants time to address shortcomings, after which 84 parties, including the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), resubmitted documents. Even so, 62 parties failed to satisfy the criteria, leaving only 22 in the latest round of field-level verification.

Under the law, a political party seeking registration must prove organizational strength, including a central committee, committees in at least one-third of the country’s districts and 100 upazilas, as well as documented support from 200 voters in each area.