The six persons tasked to help the president out in constituting the next Election Commission are going to the Bangabhaban on Monday.
Published : 05 Feb 2017, 06:46 PM
Officials have hinted the search committee may recommend 10 names before the president in the meeting.
President Md Abdul Hamid earlier asked the committee to submit the recommendations within Feb 8. The committee is going to meet him two days before the deadline.
The panel has sought an audience with Hamid on Monday, the President's Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin told bdnews24.com on Sunday.
"The meeting between the president and the six members of the search committee is scheduled to be held (Monday) evening," Joynal said.
"Hopefully, the search committee will recommend the names for the CEC and the election commissioners," he added.
The search committee, formed on Jan 25, first took preferences of the political parties, which had given their views during the president's dialogue on the next EC.
It later heard opinions of distinguished citizens before making a shortlist of 20.
It will sit and is expected to prune the list to 10 on Monday afternoon.
Search committee member Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Masud Ahmed told bdnews24.com on Sunday they would try to finalise the 10 names - two each for the CEC and four election commissioners - in the panel meeting on Monday.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, whose division is providing the committee with secretarial help, told bdnews24.com: "The committee may recommend the names tomorrow (Monday) if it can finalise the choices in the meeting. But the decision will be taken in the meeting."
The president will appoint no more than five election commissioners, including the chief, from the 10 recommendations.
The new EC will take charge after the tenure of the current one headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad ends later this month.
The new EC will organise the next parliamentary election scheduled to be held by January 2019.
The ruling Awami League has said it has no say on the president's decision.
But its rival the BNP, which sits out of Parliament after the boycott of the 2014 general elections, has expressed 'disgust' over the search committee.
Nonetheless, it has submitted its choices for the next EC to the committee and hopes the president will constitute a strong and acceptable EC.