Staff Reporter :
President Abdul Hamid will start dialogue with all registered political parties on the reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC) from December 18.
There are 40 registered political parties now in the country.
“As per Article 118 of the Constitution, the honourable President will begin dialogue with the all registered political parties before appointing the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Commissioners. The first meeting will be held with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on December 18 at 4.30 pm,” President’s Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told The New Nation on Monday.
He said the President will hold meeting with Jatiya Party on December 20, Liberal Democratic Party and Krishak Sramik Janata League on December 21 and Jatiya Samajtantric Dal (JASOD-Inu) on December 22.
“The President Abdul Hamid has already on Monday asked BNP to give a list of its representatives for talks with him over formation of the new Election commission,” Joynal Abedin said, adding in a letter, the President asked BNP to give a list of not more than 10 people by December 15.
Besides, the other political parties have already been informed about their schedule.
In 2012, then late President Zillur Rahman appointed the present CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad to lead the five-member EC through a search committee after holding meetings with political parties.
The tenure of current EC expires in February next. The new EC will conduct the next general election scheduled to be held in 2019.
On November 18, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia placed a 13-point proposal for forming the new EC and called for reconstituting the EC in consultation with representatives of all registered political parties or with representatives of all political parties who over different periods had representation in the National Parliament.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a press conference on December 3 said, “She [Khaleda] has made her proposal; now she can tell the President about it, and he would make the decision … we’ve nothing to say … according to the rules, the President will consider their proposal.”
