Political parties in Bangladesh are drifting into power-centric business models as governance within them crumbles, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said Sunday, warning that internal reform is imperative and that the parties alone must bear the responsibility.
The findings come from the TIB study titled "Institutional Governance of Political Parties in Bangladesh", released at a press conference at its Dhaka office in Dhanmondi.
The graft watchdog found widespread deficits in transparency, accountability, democratic practice, participation, inclusion and the prevention of irregularities and corruption within parties.
It said dependence on individuals and informal sources in political financing is fuelling person- and family-centred politics.
TIB approached 42 political parties (37 registered and five unregistered) for the study, but only 32 provided information.
The data covers the period from 2008, when party registration began, to December 2025, though some information up to August 2026 was also used.
The study found that a strong legal framework for ensuring internal democracy, transparency and accountability in parties is absent, said many existing provisions fall short of international best practice.
According to TIB, the conditions attached to party registration create "competitive clientelism", compelling parties to run their activities through the patronage of businesspeople and the wealthy.
The lack of democratic practice, participation and inclusion has bred person-centred leadership, dynasticism, authoritarianism, elitism, oligarchy and patriarchal culture within parties, it added.
Under the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972, every party must have a constitution that does not conflict with the Constitution of Bangladesh. Yet the constitutions of seven parties contradict various articles of the national charter, TIB said.
Section 90B of the RPO bars parties from maintaining affiliated bodies of teachers, students, employees or workers of financial, commercial or industrial institutions, or members of any other profession.
The study found that, even where their constitutions are silent, nearly all parties, especially the large ones, run student and professional bodies as "associate" or "fraternal" organisations.
It also reported allegations of illegitimate financial transactions in securing registration for new parties. In some cases, parties established themselves and obtained registration easily through financial and muscle power and political influence.
Some new parties faced allegations of government interference or influence by state intelligence agencies in the registration process, according to the study.
According to data from the parties, running offices and programmes in at least 22 districts and 101 upazilas costs a party an estimated Tk 14 crore to Tk 25 crore a year. The highest declared income from membership fees is just an estimated Tk 26 lakh.
Where activities extend to all districts, metropolitan areas, upazilas, municipalities and unions, annual spending is estimated at Tk 302 crore to Tk 393 crore. Membership fees account for an estimated Tk 14 crore to Tk 38 crore in such cases.
For parties with branches down to the ward level, annual expenditure is estimated at Tk 1,532 crore to Tk 2,188 crore, against potential membership fee income of only about Tk 116 crore.
On financial management, the study found that no party has a financial policy or procedural rules. Party constitutions are vague on income and expenditure, fee rates by position, conditions for accepting donations, nomination form fees, accounts keeping, financial transactions, procurement, audits and financial accountability.
Parties do not prepare annual budgets, and audited annual income-expenditure reports are published neither by the parties nor by the Election Commission.
Most parties choose their chiefs through national councils, but by voice vote rather than secret ballot, the study found.
There is no culture of nominating more than one candidate for the post of party chief, with multiple contenders seen in only two parties, the CPB and the AB Party. Only the CPB specifies how many times, or for how long, one person can serve as party head.
Ten of the parties studied show a trend of family-centred party leadership. In 12 parties, the chief has served for 10 years or more. The constitutions of three parties do not specify the tenure of the central committee, and one, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, makes no mention of the committee formation process.
While constitutions refer to bodies such as the national council, central executive committee and sub-committees, decision-making in most parties remains largely personality-driven, TIB said.
On accountability, the study noted that although the national council or convention is named the highest decision-making forum in every constitution, council meetings are irregular in 16 parties and typically rubber-stamp pre-decided matters.
Most constitutions do not specify eligibility or disqualification criteria for candidates. Six parties cite "popularity", "honesty" and "loyalty to the party" without clear definition.
TIB also found that influential parties give priority to candidates' wealth in nominations and favour businesspeople, with allegations of nomination trading in three influential parties.
Businessperson candidates and MPs have been notably prevalent in the last five parliamentary elections, it said.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said political parties play one of the most important roles in establishing democracy anywhere, including in Bangladesh.
"Whatever progress we have made on the democratic journey, the lion's share of the credit goes to our political parties. But despite the potential, the burden for what has not been achieved must also fall on them," he said.
"Parties show widespread deficits in every sphere, including transparency, accountability, democratic practice, participation, inclusion, and effective systems for preventing irregularities and corruption. They tend not to comply with the constitution and relevant laws and regulations. Because political financing and election participation have become excessively money-driven, parties are growing dependent on businesspeople and the wealthy," Iftekharuzzaman said.
He said, this person-centredness and informality in political financing is leading to abuse of power, the influence of black money, criminalisation and infighting in influential parties, turning politics into a power-centric business model.
On women's participation, Iftekharuzzaman said, "Despite legal obligations and pledges on women's inclusion in party activities, no real progress is visible, and women leaders and activists are seen largely as token or symbolic presences. The lack of internal democratic practice and grassroots participation is deepening one-man or person-centred leadership, dynasticism, authoritarianism, elitism and patriarchy in the parties."
Citing instances of ad hoc measures taken in response to corruption, irregularities and abuse of power by party leaders and activists, he said: "The lack of internal accountability has turned the use of money and muscle power in big parties into political violence and abnormal acceptance of internal conflict. Against this backdrop, internal reform is imperative to ensure good governance in the institutional functioning of parties, one of democracy's principal institutions. But the responsibility for this reform must fall on the parties themselves."
"As a precondition for the democratic future of Bangladesh and for earning public trust, the parties must stand before the mirror and treat their own fundamental reform issues with seriousness," he added.
The report makes 12 recommendations to ensure good governance in party activities.
Among the key ones, TIB called for amendments to the Representation of the People Order, 1972 and the Political Parties Registration Rules, 2008 to ensure transparency and accountability, and for bringing parties under the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2009.
It urged the Election Commission to take effective steps to verify parties' financial accounts, step up oversight of their organisational activities and act against legal violations, and to prepare a list of registered chartered accountancy firms through which party finances can be audited.
Within parties, TIB recommended that committees be formed and councils held at regular, fixed intervals, with leaders at every level elected by secret ballot, and that the number of terms one person may serve in leadership posts, including party chief, be clearly specified.
It also stressed that women and marginalised communities must be included in nominations at the leadership level and in elections.