Registration with EC to get tougher

The Election Commission has prepared a draft of a law with stringent rules for political parties getting registered.

Till now, a political party needs to meet at least one condition out of three given in line with The Representation of the People Order-1972.

But according to the proposed law titled "Registration of Political Parties Act-2020", now political parties will have to fulfil at least two conditions out of three to get registered with the EC.

The Representation of the People Order-1972 says all political parties should reserve at least 33 percent of all committee positions for women.

The draft law says besides keeping 33 percent positions for women, they have to report to the EC about fulfilling the reservations.

"We have finalised the draft and uploaded it on the EC website, seeking opinions from political parties and citizens. Let's see what kind of recommendations we get from them," EC Senior Secretary Md Alamgir told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Parties that seek registration must comply with the conditions set in the new law," he said.

The EC prepared the draft of "Registration of Political Parties Act-2020", repealing the chapter VIA of the Representation of the People Order-1972 that now deals with the process of registration of political parties.

EC Joint Secretary SM Asaduzzman said they decided to write the law in Bangla in place of the RPO's English to make it easy to read.

He added that they uploaded the draft law to its website -- www.ecs.gov.bd -- seeking opinions from all via email to secretary@ecs.gov.bd by July 7.

The three conditions are: a party needs to secure at least one seat with its electoral symbol in two previous parliamentary elections.

Securing of five percent of total votes cast in the constituencies in which its candidates took part in any of the aforesaid parliamentary elections.

It needs to set up a functional central office, by whatever name it may be called with a central committee, having offices at least in one-third administrative districts, and offices at least in 100 upazilas or metropolitan thanas. And the party must have a minimum 200 voters as its members in each upazila.

Parties that want to be registered with the EC must meet at least two conditions out of the three.

According to RPO-1972, a political party can get registration by securing at least one seat with its electoral symbol in any parliamentary election held since the independence of Bangladesh.

It also says all political parties should fix the goal of reserving at least 33 percent of all committee positions for women, including the central committee, and successively achieving this goal by the year 2020.

The draft law mentions that all political parties should elect members of all committees, including the central one.

The proposed law also retains some other provisions of RPO-1972.

It prohibits the formation of any organisation or body as its affiliated or associated body consisting of teachers or students of any educational institution or employees or workers of any financial, commercial or industrial institution or establishment or the members of any other profession.

A political party shall not be qualified for registration, if the objectives laid down in its organisation charter are contrary to the country's constitution.

Any discrimination regarding religion, race, caste, language or sex is apparent in its charter by name, flag, symbol or any other activity, it threatens to destroy communal harmony or lead the country to cessation.

The party will not be qualified for registration if its constitution reflects the objectives of maintaining and nourishing party-less or one-party system and others.

Registering political parties with the EC began after an amendment to the RPO-1972 in 2008.