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Dhaka, June 22, 2025: The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh will conclude the application process for the registration of new political parties today, ahead of the upcoming national election. Political parties interested in registering must submit their applications by the end of the day, as the EC has stated that no further applications will be accepted after the deadline.
Following the closure of the submission period, the EC will commence the preliminary scrutiny of the received applications. According to officials from the EC’s Election Assistance Branch, approximately 100 political parties have applied for registration so far. Earlier, the EC extended the deadline by one and a half months after receiving applications from parties such as the National Citizen Party (NCP). Several parties, including the NCP, are expected to submit their applications today, Sunday, June 22.
Under the Political Party Registration Act, aspiring parties must meet specific criteria, including maintaining an active central committee, operational district committees in at least one-third of the country’s districts, and at least 100 upazila-level or equivalent committees. Additionally, parties with candidates previously elected as Members of Parliament or those securing at least five percent of valid votes in any election are eligible for registration.
EC sources indicate that 50 political parties are currently registered with the commission. Following the fall of the Awami League government, several parties, including the Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP), AB Party, Gonoadhikar Parishad (Nurul Haq Nur), Nagorik Oikya (Mahmudur Rahman), and Gonosanghati Andolon, have been granted registration. Notably, most of these parties received registration five to six years after applying, following court orders.
The practice of political party registration began in 2008, ahead of the ninth national election. Since then, 55 parties have been registered with the EC. However, the registrations of five parties—Jamaat-e-Islami, Freedom Party, United Citizens’ Movement, PDP, and JAGPA—were canceled due to their failure to meet conditions or by court orders. Recently, court directives restored the registrations of Jamaat-e-Islami and JAGPA, but the EC has yet.
AI/MR
