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Experts push for ensuring no government control over the committee
Published : 15 Sep 2024, 12:34 AM
The Election Commission should be constituted through a search committee in line with the guidelines set by the ousted Awami League government, a discussion heard.
However, there has been a strong emphasis on ensuring that the search committee remains free from government control.
A proposal to that end was presented at a dialogue titled ‘Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners’, held at a hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on Saturday.
The event was organised by Democracy International and was attended by advisors, the head of the Election System Reform Commission, political leaders, civil society representatives and students.
Following the fall of the Awami League government, the interim government has initiated efforts to reform state institutions, including the Election Commission whose commissioners have resigned.
Plans are under way to overhaul the electoral system.
Advisor M Sakhawat Hossain, a former election commissioner, proposed a three-tier search committee model.
In his words, the first stage would involve a committee comprising civil society members, representatives of political parties, and civil servants such as the cabinet secretary.
"This committee will gather names, perhaps around 100. Based on set criteria, they will shortlist names and forward them to the second stage,” he said.
In the second stage, a retired chief justice will lead the committee and trim the list, Sakhawat said.
“Against each commissioner position, four or five names will be sent to the final stage,” he added.
If parliament remains in place, the names will be sent to the ‘Parliament Business Committee’. This committee will have an equal number of members from both the ruling and opposition parties.
The committee will then send at least two names for each position to the president, who will make the final decision, without any involvement from the prime minister.
Advisor Sakhawat recommended that the age of potential election commissioners should be between 40 and 45 years.
“Given the administrative importance of the Election Commission, its members must be experienced and capable of controlling field administration. They should also have strong knowledge of Bangladesh’s administrative system and be neutral,” he added.
“No matter how well the commission is formed, a caretaker government is essential for a fair election. How this will be established should be decided collectively by the political parties.”
Badiul Alam Majumdar, who is heading the Commission for Electoral System Reforms, criticised the previous Election Commission, particularly its inclusion of two civil society members who he claimed acted as government representatives.
“They registered two political parties that no one is familiar with. I believe that the Election Commission should be formed on the basis of a political consensus," he said.
Badiul also proposed a search committee of “six to seven” members, with representatives from the prime minister, opposition leader, the third-largest party in parliament, the media, and civil society.
The search committee should not be appointed by the government and all names submitted for consideration should be made public beforehand.
Shameem Haider Patwary, a presidium member of the Jatiya Party, stressed the need for constitutional amendments to ensure neutrality in Election Commission appointments.
“If we are to form a search committee, there must be a format that reflects the last 30-40 years and can provide impartial individuals for the next 30-40 years,” he said.
He continued, “All former chief justices, presidents, and speakers should be included in this criteria. The main challenge is ensuring that whichever government is in power cannot control the search committee or the appointments to the Election Commission.”
Democracy International’s chief Abdul Alim proposed five measures for establishing an independent Election Commission.
His recommendations included forming a non-partisan search committee of professionals from both government and civil society, passing a law to prevent the appointment of government beneficiaries to the commission, issuing an open recruitment notice, and ensuring that the president appoints commissioners without the prime minister’s advice.
BNP Standing Committee member Selima Rahman said she would like to see an Election Commission consisting of both new and experienced individuals.
Rumeen Farhana, the party’s assistant secretary for international affairs, said: "The names obtained through the search committee must be reviewed again by the political parties, as they are the largest stakeholders in this process."
