Bangladesh to appoint first female election commissioner

Bangladesh's Election Commission is going to have a female commissioner for the first time in its journey begun four and a half decades ago.

Following the continuation of women empowerment in Parliament, Secretariat, judiciary, university and other important places, politicians leaders desired the presence of women in the EC several months ago.

The search committee formed by the president on Wednesday to recommend the names of the next election commissioners has been asked to make the recommendations in such a way that the president will be able to keep at least one woman in the new commission.

After Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury became Speaker, all the three major posts in Parliament went to women.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the Leader of the House while Raushon Ershad is the Leader of the Opposition. The Deputy Leader of House is also a woman - Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.

The BNP, the ruling Awami League's main rival outside Parliament, also has a woman at the helm. Its Chairperson Khaleda Zia is Bangladesh's first female prime minister.

In Sheikh Hasina's two consecutive terms, charges of several crucial ministries have been given to women.

In 2011, Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana became the first female judge of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division.

Women are also working as secretaries to the PMO, cultural affairs ministry, and women and children affairs ministry.

Jahangirnagar University's Professor Farzana Islam became Bangladesh's first female vice-chancellor of any public university three years ago.

So far, 11 chief election commissioners and 23 election commissioners worked in the EC, but not one of them was female.

Now the Cabinet Division has issued the gazette on the search committee, asking it to recommend two names against each post of the CEC and the other election commissioners, of whom at least one will be a woman.

The new commission will organise general elections by January 2019.