AL applies for EC registration

The Awami League on Wednesday applied for registration with the Election Commission and submitted the amended, provisional party constitution with provisions contradicting the registration criteria.
It also hoped the commission will further relax its provisions to allow the party to be registered.
The Awami League’s office secretary Abdul Mannan Khan submitted, along with the application, the party’s amended, provisional constitution which kept provisions for associate organisations and foreign chapters of the party.
The provisions of keeping such bodies contradict the registration laws laid out in the revised Representation of the People (Amendment) Ordinance 2008.
Asked whether the party thinks the commission will relax the registration criteria to allow it to be registered, Abdul Mannan said, ‘We think the commission will register us in line with our amended constitution.’
Asked how the commission will register the Awami League as at least two provisions in the party constitution contradict the registration criteria, election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain said, ‘The committee assigned to verify the applications will scrutinise the application and then we will see what could be done.’
He, however, declined comments when he was asked whether the commission would relax the registration criteria to allow the Awami League to be registered.
Article 90(B)-(b)(iii) of the Representation of the People Order, as amended on October 6, says every political party should have specific provisions in its constitution ‘to prohibit formation of any organisation or body as its affiliated or associated body consisting of the teachers or students of any educational institution or the employees or labourers of any financial, commercial or industrial institution or establishment or the members of any other profession.’
According to Article 90C(1)(d), a political party should not be qualified for registration if ‘there is any provision in its constitution for the establishment or operation of any office, branch or committee outside the territory of Bangladesh.’
The Awami League’s amended, provisional constitution says the party maintains associate organisations to be guided by their own constitutions, instead of the existing provision allowing monitoring by the party secretaries concerned.
The Bangladesh Mahila Awami League, Bangladesh Krishak League, Jatiya Sramik League, Bangladesh Awami Juba League, Awami Swechchhashebak League, Bangladesh Chhatra League, Awami Ainjibee Parishad, Bangladesh Tanti League, Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad and Bangladesh Juba Mahila League will operate as the party’s ‘associate’ organisations to be guided by their own constitutions, the provisional party constitution said.
As for overseas unit of the party, the amended, provisional constitution says overseas wings formed by Bangladeshi expatriates will go by the existing rules and regulations of the countries of their residence.
Abdul Mannan said the party during the dialogue with the commission made it clear they would keep associate organisations and overseas units.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday said the party would not decide on the registration with the commission until they reach a consensus on contentious political issues with the caretaker government.
The BNP’s secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain hoped the government would again hold dialogue with the BNP before the extended October 20 deadline for registration, a requisite for parties to contest the forthcoming polls scheduled for December 18.
Only 23 political parties have applied for registration with the commission till Wednesday, when the registration deadline was earlier set to expire. The deadline was later extended by five days till October 20 at the request of some political parties. Some 167 parties and groups have collected forms, said sources in the commission.
The 23 parties and groups which have applied for registration are the Awami League, Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Janata League, Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (M-L), Liberal Democratic Party, Freedom Party, National People’s Party, Jatiya Party faction led by Anwar Hossain Manju, Naya Samaj Dal, Bangladesh Mukti Oikya Dal, Bangladesh Jatiya League, Bangladesh Kalyan Party and Nirdaliya Jana Andolan, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Islami Oikya Front, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, National Awami Party, Jatiya Party led by Ershad, Forward Party, Gana Forum and Islami Gana Shakti.
The commission on August 27 issued a notice inviting political parties to apply for registration in a prescribed form and also submit a number of documents.
According to the Representation of the People Order, as amended on October 6, the political parties will be allowed to submit a provisional constitution to the commission to get registered and contest the December 18 parliamentary polls.
But in six months after the first sitting of the next parliament, the parties must ratify their constitutions by duly holding council sessions in line with the latest electoral laws which call for ‘more democratisation’ of parties.