107 parties apply for EC registration

A total of 107 political parties have applied for registration, a new provision made mandatory under the amended Representation of People Order (RPO) as part of political and electoral reforms in the interim period.
BNP and its major ally Jamaat-e-Islami submitted their registration forms separately yesterday, the last day in the extended deadline set by the Election Commission.
Awami League submitted its registration form on October 15, the first deadline.
Registration is a precondition for joining the December 18 electoral race.
All these parties had to amend their respective party constitutions to comply with the registration rules framed to bring changes in the country's outmoded political culture.
Allaying some controversies, Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said registration does not mean imposing the commission's control over the parties--it is aimed at bringing political parties under a “legal framework” to ensure accountability and consolidate democracy.
Huda said, “It's a big achievement of the present commission as the previous Election Commission did not do it.”