Dhaka - A total of 107 political parties have applied to register with Bangladesh's Election Commission for eligibility in December's general election, officials said Monday.

The parties applied to meet an extended deadline for the submissions. The submissions were mandated by the country's military- backed interim government, led by Fakhruddin Ahmed. The interim administration was installed in January 2007 against a backdrop of political turmoil.

The country's Chief Election Commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda said that the prime objective of the registration process was to put the political parties within a legal framework.

"The registration process was introduced not to control the parties, but to ensure their transparency and make them more democratic," the CEC said. It said that the parties were less accountable without such regulations, which were part of a package of electoral and political reforms implemented in August.

Two major parties - the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League (AL), led by two former premiers, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina Wajed, respectively - were among those submitting their registration forms Monday.

The commission is supposed to publish a final list of political parties qualified to vie in the parliamentary polls at the end of the month after scrutinizing their applications.

Only registered political parties and independent candidates would be allowed to contest the parliamentary polls. Independent candidates must obtain support from 1 per cent of voters from their constituencies to file nomination papers for the general election.

The election is slated for December 18.

Political observers said the tough electoral conditions would discourage many people from contesting the election. dpa