Election Commissioner Sahul Hossain yesterday said, "We have decided to add a new condition to the draft proposal of the political party registration system, under which a political party intending to register [with the EC] will not be allowed to have any organisational branch overseas."

The commission has decided to adopt this precondition for upholding the country's image and the preservation of harmony among the expatriates, Sahul said referring to party rivalries among the overseas branches of the country's major political parties.

The draft proposal of the EC makes it mandatory for political parties to register with the EC before contesting any election in the country.

In the original proposal disclosed last month, the EC called for restricting political parties from forming front organisations at any educational institution with its teachers or students. Furthermore, political parties intending to be registered with the EC would also be barred from forming front organisations at government and non-government financial, commercial or industrial organisations with their employees.

The EC has already announced a set of draft proposals for electoral reforms as well.

About the background of the new prerequisite for party registration, Sahul said, "We received a lot of complaints about the activities of the overseas branches of major political parties. The expatriates had been demanding [the government] take measures for dissolving the branches [of political parties] abroad."

Earlier in the seventh parliament, a parliamentary body had also recommended the government impose a ban on political parties having branches in foreign countries to uphold the country's image abroad since many of those branches are being engaged in political rivalries and conflicts.

The then government however did not make any move to implement the recommendation of the parliamentary body.

On enrolment of expatriates in the voter list, the election commissioner said the EC is committed to enrolling the expatriates in the list. "There are around 80 lakh Bangladeshis who live abroad" and "we hope the expatriates, particularly those living in North America, the UK and Europe, will be able to cast their votes in the next parliamentary election."

He said the EC is now reviewing the electoral laws for enrolling the expatriates as voters, but the method for their enrolment has not been finalised yet.