EC proposes search committee for election commissioners

The Election Commission has drafted an ordinance that prescribes a search committee to nominate the panel for selection of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners, an official told bdnews24.com correspondent Moinul Hoque Chowdhury.

Moinul Hoque Chowdhury

bdnews24.com correspondent

Dhaka, June 7 (bdnews24.com) – The Election Commission has drafted an ordinance that prescribes a search committee to nominate the panel for selection of the Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners, an official told bdnews24.com.

The chairman of the Anticorruption Commission, Public Service Commission chairman, Comptroller and Auditor General and the outgoing CEC have been proposed to man the search committee.

The proposed ordinance also recommended selecting a female member for the three-member Election Commission.

Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said Friday the ordinance was meant to pave the way for efficient, neutral, and 'appropriate' individuals to become election commissioners.

The EC will present the Election Commissioners (Method Of Recruitment) Ordinance – 2008 by the end of this month.

Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed is likely to meet with the EC later this month to discuss the ordinance.

Justifying the proposal for a search committee, Sohul Hussain said a person must have certain qualities to be an election commissioner.

"There are requirements for appointment of judges, but none for the selection of election commissioners, although a similar method of termination of both positions," he said.

Under the present process, the government selects the panel of nominee commissioners.

The proposed search committee would prepare a panel of three nominees to each post in order of preference.

The recommendations of the committee would be forwarded by the commission to the Prime Minister's Office to be forwarded to the parliament secretariat and the business advisory committee of Jatiya Sangsad.

Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda had recently pointed out that no law had been enacted in 36 years to appoint people to certain constitutional posts such as election commissioner.

EC lawyers said the constitution did not determine any requirements for election commissioners. It gives authority to the president to make appointments to the EC on his own.

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