BNP, allies to apply for registration today

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote will apply for registration with the Election Commission before the submission deadline expires this afternoon, alliance leaders said.
The highest policy making bodies of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami Sunday evening approved draft amendments to party constitutions in line with the criteria set by the Election Commission under the amended Representation of People Order.
BNP standing committee sources said, the amendments to the party constitution include: make a balance of power between the party chairperson and the standing committee, keeping 33 per cent of all committee positions reserved for women, finalisation of nomination of candidates by the party’s parliamentary board from lists forwarded by district committees, keeping no affiliated bodies consisting of students, labourers and other professions and keeping no foreign units.
There will, however, be no bar on any individual or group of individuals forming associated bodies and foreign units upholding ideals of the party. These bodies and units are free to run by their own constitutions, according to the amendments to the party constitution.
The BNP standing committee also approved a resolution that the party would submit a ratified copy of the party constitution to the Election Commission within six months of the first sitting of the ninth parliament.
‘The standing committee has approved draft amendments necessary for registration [with the Election Commission],’ BNP standing committee member M Saifur Rahman told reporters after the meeting. Committee members M Shamsul Islam and RA Gani echoed.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia presided over the one-and-half-hour meeting beginning at 9:00 pm at her Gulshan office.
The party, which was to decide on registration after holding the second round of formal dialogue with the commission, suddenly changed its stance as the commission and the military-controlled interim government stuck to their position not to defer the deadline for registration again, according to party insiders.
‘Tomorrow [Monday] is the last date for applying for registration. So we will apply for registration to thwart the conspiracy to keep us away from elections on the excuse of non-registration,’ BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain said Sunday afternoon.
‘There were attempts in the past to split the BNP. And now a conspiracy is on to keep the party out of the incoming general elections,’ he added.
According to the latest amendments to the Representation of People Order, registration with the commission is mandatory for the parties to contest the elections.
Asked about the change in party’s stance the day before the deadline expires, Delwar said the party wanted further discussion with the government about the demands for removal of some electoral provisions which are inconsistent to the national constitution. ‘But we are yet to receive any response from the government about the next round of dialogue,’ Delwar said.
Asked about the party’s stance on participating in the polls under the state of emergency, he said the registration with the EC and the question of participation in the elections were not the same.
‘We will apply for registration to qualify for participating in elections. The decision on contesting the elections will be taken later on after considering the overall atmosphere,’ he said.
The BNP will not participate in any stage-managed elections, he reiterated. ‘We want lifting of the state of emergency before the polls, participated by all parties, including two leaders — Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina,’ he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman told New Age that the party would submit application for registration with the EC today.
The Jatiya Nirbahi Parishad approved draft amendments to the party constitution at a meeting Sunday evening, he said. Jamaat amir Matiur Rahman Nizami presided over the meeting.
The amendments are made in line with the requirements of the RPO 2008, he said.
Islami Oikya Jote secretary general Abdul Latif Nezami said they would also apply for registration today.
Earlier on the day, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami collected the registration forms from the EC.
The EC extended the deadline for submitting application for registration from October 15 to October 20 responding to requests from BNP and Jamaat. Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda earlier said that the commission would not further extend the deadline for applying for registration.
A total of 192 political parties and groups collected forms for registration and 43 of them including the Awami League submitted applications to the EC until Sunday