Dhaka - Bangladesh's major political parties have received certificates from the Election Commission to contest the upcoming general elections scheduled for December 18, election officials and political leaders said Wednesday.

"We are happy to get the certificate from the election commission," Abdul Mannan, the office secretary of the major opposition Awami League party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, told reporters after receiving the certificate for mandatory political party registration, a provision introduced by the election authorities for the first time in Bangladesh.

Eight other political parties collected the certificates so far, said an Election Commission official, adding that the number of registered political parties reached 25 at the final count.

The commission has been scrutinizing a total of 107 applications filed by different political groups seeking registration. However, most of them failed to fulfil the criteria which the interim caretaker administration adopted in August to keep the elections clear of controversy.

Bangladesh's Nationalist Party of former premier Khaleda Zia, and the Jatiya Party of former military dictator Hossain Muhammad Ershad also received the registration certificate, as did the right-wing Bangladesh Jamat-e-Islami, the left-wing Communist Party of Bangladesh, the Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and a newly formed Liberal Democratic Party

The commission has also finalized registration certificates for the Jatiya Party-JP, Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal, Krishak Sramik Janata League, Bangladesh National Awami Party and Ganotantri Party.

The parties were also allocated their respective election symbols with the certificate, the election officials said.

The parties are now busy preparing for the elections, which election authorities announced will be held on December 18 for parliamentary polls and December 28 for the local bodies. (dpa)