New EC: search committee requests names by Nov 7

Political parties and individuals can submit up to five nominations for the chief election commissioner and other positions

The newly formed search committee for the election commission has requested names for the positions of chief election commissioner and other commissioners, allowing up to five nominations to be proposed.

Political parties, professional organisations, and any interested individuals are invited to submit their recommendations by Nov 7, providing a four-day window for names to be sent to the Cabinet Division, it said in a notice on Sunday.

Proposed names must be submitted along with a comprehensive curriculum vitae, either directly to the Cabinet Division or via email ([email protected]) by 5pm on Nov 7.

The government formed the search committee on Oct 31 to recommend candidates for the appointment of the CEC and other commissioners, with its chairperson being Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury of the Appellate Division.

On Sunday morning, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid said the search committee would convene for a meeting. Following this, the Cabinet Division issued a notice requesting names for the new EC.

The Kazi Habibul Awal commission, which oversaw the 12th parliamentary election on Jan 7, concluded its tenure on Sept 5, about a month after a political transition.

The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has already initiated reforms in various sectors.

The 13th parliamentary election will take place under the new EC once these reforms are completed.

The interim government has said the timeline for the elections depends on the “minimum consensus” of political parties.

Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said the formation of the search committee marks the beginning of the interim government’s election-related activities.

The six-member committee also includes High Court Justice AKM Asaduzzaman, Auditor General and Comptroller Md Nurul Islam, Bangladesh Public Service Commission Chairman Prof Mobasser Monem, former Dhaka University Department of International Relations professor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, and former Bangladesh Public Service Commission chairman Zinnatun Nessa Tahmida Begum.

The cabinet secretary said, “Today (the search committee) will meet, and decisions made during the meeting will determine the subsequent steps. The committee will set their operational procedures. They will decide how other tasks will proceed today (Sunday).”

When asked about the timeline for the formation of the election commission, he said: “According to the law, this committee will provide recommendations within 15 working days. After that, we cannot predict when the president will form the election commission.”