The political parties will have to register by the October 15 deadline if they wish to contest the December parliamentary election, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said Tuesday, report bdnews24.com/UNB.
He asserted that registration of the political parties is a must for contesting the upcoming general polls in December.
"In order to contest the general polls, the registration of the political parties is mandatory," CEC ATM Shamsul Huda told reporters in reply to a question at Saint Gregory's High School in the city Tuesday.
CEC ATM Shamsul Huda was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function of a three-day Dhaka First Inter-School Debate competition jointly organised by Gregorian Debate Cub and Debate for Democracy.
Dr Huda, who studied at Saint Gregory's High School during 1951-53 period, expressed happiness being on the school campus after more than 50 years.
Senior journalist Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and debater Hasan Ahmed Kiron were present, among others, at the function.
The EC thinks that registration of the political parties is imperative as it would be hard for the EC to manage the race of 100 to 150 political parties in the parliamentary elections.
Shamsul Huda said: "It's very difficult to deal with some 100-150 political parties during the election." "If not registered, it would not be possible on our part to work with some 150 political parties," he said.
The EC Monday ordered political parties to apply for registration from August 27 to October 15 for general elections, a must under new electoral laws, and said it wanted to be through with the registration procedure by October 30.
It Tuesday formally asked the political parties to register by publishing a gazette of political parties' registration 2008, signed by EC secretary Humayun Kabir. Political parties have been asked to give names and addresses of party headquarters, copies of party constitution and electoral agenda.
According to the new laws, a party that has won at least one constituency in parliamentary elections since independence or secured five per cent of total votes in the constituencies contested could apply for registration.
The parties seeking to be registered must have committees in at least 10 districts and 50 upazilas. All committees must be elected, with a target of getting 33 per cent women leaders in all committees by 2020.
