Bangladesh party in election move

Voting was supposed to have taken place in January 2007

One of the two largest political parties in Bangladesh, the Awami League, has completed paperwork enabling it to contest elections.

It has registered with the Election Commission to take part in parliamentary elections expected to be held in December.

The party, headed by Sheikh Hasina, submitted its application along with a draft of its amended constitution.

The commission says all parties must register to take part in the vote.

Correspondents say the registration of the Awami League is significant because it will put pressure on the other opposition parties to follow suit.

Religion

Some parties have opposed the move, saying the regulations infringe their political rights.

The deadline for registration is 20 October.

The government says it wants the vote to be free and fair

The BBC's Bengali section editor Sabir Mustafa says that many parties in Bangladesh were registered before, but the process was never strictly enforced or monitored.

He says that this time, they are required to amend their own constitutions to qualify for registration and have internal elections to choose leaders, committees and the representation of women.

The Election Commission has also imposed restrictions on the use of religion by parties, requiring Islamist parties to drastically alter their constitutions - or lose the right to participate in elections.

Our correspondent says that it remains a debatable point whether the regulations will bring about a change in the political culture of the country.

'Political freedom'

Meanwhile, the European Union has called on the military-backed caretaker government to lift the state of emergency ahead of the vote, warning that otherwise it may not send monitors.

"We are willing to come to monitor the polls, but only if the emergency is lifted or relaxed," said Stefan Frowein, head of the European Commission delegation in Dhaka.

"I would underline the need for a convincing restoration of civil and political freedom in good time for the election," he said.

Voting was due in January last year, but postponed after political violence led to a state of emergency.

The state of emergency has been in place since then.

Parties are also being asked by the commission to open up their accounts to independent auditors and agree to a code of conduct.