The search committee on Saturday requested the 31 political parties to propose five names for the new Election Commission (EC).
The names will be sent to the Additional Secretary of the Cabinet Division by January 31. Each of the parties could propose as high as five names for the Commission. It is therefore expected that a total of 155 names will be forwarded to the Cabinet Division.
“Some 31 registered political parties held talks with President Abdul Hamid over the reconstitution of Election Commission have been requested to propose names of five preferred individuals,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told journalists yesterday.
The six-member search committee formed on Thursday held its first meeting yesterday at the Supreme Court’s Judges Lounge in the city.
It will also hold an exchange of opinion meeting with the country’s 12 eminent personalities at the same venue (Supreme Court Judges’ Lounge) tomorrow.
The eminent personalities are Professor emeritus at Dhaka University Serajul Islam Choudhury, former Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former High Court Judge Md Abdur Rashid, former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor AK Azad Chowdhury, former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor SMA Fayez, Dhaka University Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq, Advocate Sultana Kamal, Executive Director of Ain O Salish Kendra, former Election Commissioner Sohul Hussain, former Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hussain, local government expert Tofail Ahmed, Secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik Badiul Alam Majumdar and former Inspector General of Police Nurul Huda.
The meeting began at 11:00am and continued for nearly two hours headed by Appellate Division Judge Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.
The other five members of the committee High Court judge Justice Obaidul Hassan, Public Service Commission Chairman Mohammad Sadiq, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Masud Ahmed, Dhaka University English Department Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Chittagong University Shireen Akhter were present in the meeting.
Shafiul Alam said three of the five search committee members can hold the meeting.
According to sources, the search committee would hand over a list of 10 persons to President Abdul Hamid within 10 working days.
The President will then appoint the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners from those names.
The tenure of the incumbent Election Commission headed by Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmad will expire on February 8. The tenure of a Commissioner, AKM Shahnewaz, however, will end on February 15.
The President formed the search body on January 25 after holding a series of talks with 31 registered political parties, including ruling Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
