Bangladesh News

Six more political parties yesterday received certificates of registration with the Election Commission (EC) as parliamentary party. They are BNP, Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad), Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu).

Law Affairs Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Jasimuddin Sarker also collected the party’s registration certificate from the EC Secretariat around 8:30pm yesterday.

The EC decided to register Jamaat–the major ally of BNP in the four-party alliance–after holding a hearing on Saturday on objections against registering the party accused of war crimes including genocide and rape during the Liberation War. None from the Islamist party was present at the hearing.

The EC Secretariat yesterday also allocated election symbols to the registered parties.

EC officials said registration certificates along with election symbols for another 13 parties, including the Awami League (AL), are ready and the parties have been asked to collect their certificates.

The commission also decided yesterday to register Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) and Khelafat Majlish as parliamentary parties after holding hearings on objections to registration of four parties also including Jamiate Olamaye Islam and Nejame Islami Bangladesh. Decisions regarding the two others would come soon, EC sources said.

Seven political parties have so far received with the EC registration certificates. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Col (retd) Oli Ahmed was the first to get EC registration on October 20.

“We are very happy. We knew we would get registered,” BNP Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam told reporters after receiving the party’s registration certificate from the EC Secretariat.

But he refused to make any comment when asked if the BNP would take part in the parliamentary election.

The EC Secretariat allocated the sheaf of paddy to BNP as its election symbol, plough to JP-Ershad, winnower (kula) to Bikalpadhara, hammer to Workers Party, sickle to CPB and torch to JSD-Inu. The LDP was earlier allocated umbrella as its election symbol.

The AL will have its symbol of boat, EC officials said.

They said registration certificates are ready for Jatiya Party led by Anwar Hossain Manju with election symbol bicycle, Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal with wheel, Krishak Sramik Janata League with gamchha, Bangladesh National Awami Party with hut, and Gonotantri Party with pigeon.

EC sources meanwhile said a budget of Tk 2 crore has been finalised for the upcoming parliamentary election slated for December 18 and the following upazila polls, Tk 1 crore for each.

As of yesterday the EC finalised registration of 21 parties. Commission officials said four to five more parties might be added to the list.

“A total of 107 parties applied for registration but not more than 25 will get registration,” EC Joint Secretary Nurul Islam Khan told reporters at his office yesterday. He added that the commission would hand over certificates to all qualified parties within this week.