296 local NGOs apply for poll monitoring

A total of 296 local non-government organisations (NGOs) applied to the Election Commission (EC) for permission to monitor the upcoming elections as observers.
The EC will scrutinise the applications in the next 15 days in accordance with the new requirements it earlier set for private election monitoring organisations' registration, commission sources said.
According to the new requirements for poll observers' registration, no organisation having political affiliation will get the permission.
Unlike the past, the EC this time around also decided not to give wholesale poll monitoring registration to local organisations.
A large number of local NGOs got permission in the past to monitor the elections, sparking widespread controversies and allegations.
"That's not going to be repeated this time around," said an EC official.
The new requirements demand that an observer must be of at least 25 years of age and must at least have a secondary school certificate. The poll monitoring registration will be awarded for a year.
An organisation will be able to file an appeal if its application is rejected by the EC, but the appeal must be filed within three days of the rejection.
The EC will then have a hearing of the appeal and will give a final verdict within a week, the new guidelines say.
Already there are allegations against some of the NGOs that applied for monitoring the elections.
Awami League during its talks with the EC brought allegations against Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (Fema), Democracy Watch, Khan Foundation, and Odhikar -- urging the commission not to consider their applications.