16 parties pass EC’s preliminary screening

The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday has confirmed that 16 political parties, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), have cleared the preliminary verification process. Final decisions will be made after field-level verification, according to EC sources.

Earlier, none of the 144 parties that applied for registration, including the NCP, passed the initial screening. The EC then gave all parties 15 days to address shortcomings in their applications.

On July 15, EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz said letters would be sent to 62 parties in the first phase, with others to follow. Parties must correct any discrepancies within 15 days.

The deadline for applications was extended from April 20 to June 22 after several parties requested an extension. By then, 144 parties had submitted 147 applications.

Under election law, parties must have a central committee, committees in at least one-third of districts, and 100 upazila committees, with proof of support from 200 voters in each. Additionally, parties qualify for registration if any member was previously an MP or if the party secured 5% of votes in the last election.

The EC’s preliminary screening mainly checks compliance with these requirements.