EC formation: Search body asks names from political parties

The search committee has asked names from the 31 political parties, which attended the dialogue with the President, to find out the suitable persons for reconstituting the Election Commission (EC).

The decision was taken on Saturday at the first meeting of the committee formed to recommend names of the members for the next EC.

The first meeting of the newly formed committee was held at the Supreme Court Judges' Lounge in Dhaka around 11:00am. Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain of the Appellate Division and member of the committee presided over the meeting.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told the media that the committee asked the each party, attended the Bangabhaban talks, to forward five names for reconstituting the new EC.

The search committee will also sit with 12 eminent personalities of the country at the Supreme Court Judges' Lounge in Dhaka on Monday at 4:00pm.

The eminent personalities are – former High Court judge Md Abdur Rashid, Prof Dr AK Azad Chowdhury, Serajul Islam Choudhury, SMA Fayez, Sultana Kamal, former Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former Election Commissioner Sohul Hussain, former Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hussain, local government expert Tofail Ahmed, secretary of Shushanor Jonno Nagorik Badiul Alam Majumdar, Dhaka University professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq and former inspector general of police Nurul Huda.

President held talks with 31 political parties, including the ruling Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party (Ershad) on the formation of the new EC.

The political parties separately placed a series of proposals during the talks and most of the parties proposed to enact a law for the EC formation.