Stung by criticisms for its controversial move to whittle down its own power, the Election Commission (EC) now appears unlikely to step into further controversy by providing registration to controversial political party Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF). Officials said the EC will complete the task of providing registration to new political parties within one or two weeks as the national election approaches fast. Now the Rakibuddin Commission, constituted in February 2012, looks to retreat from its stance to provide registration to BNF as it could not fulfill the requirements for getting registration, a highly placed EC source told UNB. Asked about it, Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told the agency, “We’ll reach a final decision over giving registration to the new political parties in the next week … BNF has failed to meet all the necessary requirements even in the second phase of EC’s investigation.” Only Bangladesh Sangskritik Muktijote will get registered with the EC as the party fulfilled all the necessary conditions, he said. The main opposition BNP has been opposing the move to provide registration to BNF alleging that the party uses ‘sheaf of wheat’ which looks like BNP’s election symbol ‘sheaf of paddy’ in posters. BNP lodged complaints with the EC that the new party uses BNP’s logo, flag, polls symbol in the posters inscribed with the 19 points of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman. As many as 43 new political parties have applied for registration within the January 31 deadline after the EC issued a public notification in October last year. The Commission initially picked two parties — BNF and Bangladesh Sangskritik Muktijote — for giving registration and scrutinised whether the parties met field-level conditions. As per the rules, a political party must have functional offices in at least 22 districts and 100 upazilas to become eligible for registration with the Election Commission. In the second phase of its investigation, the Commission found active offices of BNF in 26 districts and 88 upazilas across the country. Earlier, the Commission in its first investigation found BNF’s active offices in only 15 districts and 32 upazilas across the country, though it submitted addresses of its offices in 36 districts and 134 upazilas to the EC. The Election Commission has already retreated from its two controversial moves — to whittle down its authority to cancel candidature through deleting the article 91 (E) of the Representation of the People Order 2009 and to amend the electoral code of conduct amid widespread criticism. Earlier in July, the Commission drafted a proposal for an amendment to the election code of conduct considering that the 10th general election would be held under a partisan government. According the drafted amendment, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with 20 other ministers or state ministers or AL leaders (picked by the ruling party chief) are allowed to lead electioneering across the country without resigning from their posts, if the premier continues as the Awami League chief. Later on, the commission moved back in wake of strong criticism regarding the move and now the constitutional body EC says the election code of conduct will be amended just before the announcement of the national election. – UNB
