The Election Commission (EC) is set to register two new political parties: the Bangladesh Nationalist Movement and the Bangladesh Supreme Party. A gazette announcing this registration will be published on Monday, officially recognizing the formal registration of these parties.
To register a political party in Bangladesh, there are certain requirements and procedures to follow.
Eligibility criteria
According to the Registration of Political Parties Act-2020, new political parties seeking registration must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- Secure at least one seat with its electoral symbol in any parliamentary election held since the independence of Bangladesh.
- Obtain a minimum of 5% of the total votes cast in the constituencies where its candidates participated in any of the aforementioned parliamentary elections.
- Establish a functional central office, with a central committee operating under any name, and have offices in at least one-third of the administrative districts. Additionally, the party must have offices in at least 100 upazilas or metropolitan police stations, with a minimum of 200 voters as members in each upazila.
In addition to meeting these conditions, political parties interested in registration must also incorporate the following provisions:
- Conduct elections for members at all levels of the committee, including the central committee.
- Ensure that committees at all levels, including the central committee, reserve at least 33% of their membership for women. The party should also include details of the achievement of this target in the annual report submitted to the commission.
Application process
The interested political party must apply to the EC. The application should include the party's constitution, objectives, membership details, symbol, and other relevant information.
Scrutiny and verification
The EC scrutinizes the application and verifies whether the party meets the eligibility criteria. The EC may ask for additional documents or information during the process.
Public notice
Upon satisfying the eligibility criteria and successful verification, the EC publishes a public notice stating the intention to register the political party. This notice allows objections or appeals to be filed against the registration within a specified period.
Registration
If no objections or valid appeals are filed within the given period, the EC registers the political party and assigns it a unique registration number.
The Election Commission invited new party registration applications in May 2022. Despite providing a three-month period, there was no response, leading to an extension of the deadline until October.
During this period, a total of 93 new parties applied for registration. 87 applications were dropped during the initial selection process, and 12 parties survived until the end.
The 12 parties that have undergone verification are Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM), AB Party (Amar Bangladesh Party), Bangladesh Humanist Party (BHP), Ganadhikar Parishad, Nagorik Oikya, Bangladesh Sanatan Party (BSP), Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP), Bangladesh Labour Party, Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP), Bangladesh People's Party (BPP), Democratic Party, and Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP).
Among these 12 parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Movement and the Bangladesh Supreme Party have been preliminarily finalized in the latest decision of the EC.
The first registration system was introduced in 2008. Before the ninth parliament, 126 parties applied, but only 39 parties met the conditions and received approval.
