Awami League, BNP submit EC preferences to search committee

The country's two major political parties, the ruling Awami League and the BNP have submitted their preferences as next election commissioner.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 Jan 2017, 08:25 AM
Updated : 31 Jan 2017, 08:29 AM

On Tuesday, delegations of the parties handed sealed letters to the offices of the Cabinet Division, which is providing secretarial support to the president-formed search committee.

Around 12:30pm, the BNP delegation led by Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi arrived at the Secretariat and handed their letter to Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Abdul Wadud.

Just after that, the Awami League team headed by its Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan submitted their preferences to Wadud.

Neither Rizvi nor Sobhan disclosed their preferences while speaking to the press pack waiting at the Secretariat.

On Jan 25, President Md Abdul Hamid formed the committee headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and gave them 10 working days to recommend names for the next EC.

He will pick out the next chief election commissioner and election commissioners from the recommended names.

After holding its first meeting on Saturday, the search panel asked the 31 political parties, who attended the Bangabhaban talks, to submit their choices by Tuesday.

Most of the political parties, had said they will forward their preferences to the panel.

But some, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), said if political parties are allowed to name their preferences it would lead to a controversy after the election commissioners are appointed.

Cabinet division officials said until 12:30pm, almost half of the 31 political parties submitted their choices. Of them, four submitted on Monday.