President Md Abdul Hamid will hold talks to constitute the next Election Commission during the second half of December.
Published : 06 Dec 2016, 11:11 AM
The dialogues will begin soon after Bangladesh celebrates its Victory Day on Dec 16, said the president’s press secretary Joynal Abedin.
“He will hold discussions with registered parties and those represented in parliament before appointing the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners in line with Section-118 of the Constitution.”
The talks could begin from Dec 18, said an official of Bangabhaban, the president’s official residence, even though the press secretary did not mention a specific date.
“The BNP will probably be called on the first day,” the official told bdnews24.com.
The present Election Commission, headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, was constituted in 2012.
Late president Zillur Rahman formed it through a 'search committee' after consulting political parties in Parliament.
Similar process would be followed to form the next Election Commission that will hold the eleventh parliamentary elections in 2019, Law Minister Anisul Huq has said.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia briefed the press last month over her views on the new Election Commission and formation of the search committee.
The BNP, now outside the Parliament, is a major opponent to the ruling Awami League.
Khaleda raised thirteen points, focussing on constituting the Election Commission on the basis of a consensus reached by all registered political parties and also those that have been represented in the Parliament from the time of Bangladesh's liberation.
Two leading national dailies of the country have said in their analyses that the proposal was made to ensure the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in the process.
Jamaat was stripped of its registration for not meeting the Election Commission's requirements.
However, if Khaleda's proposal is accepted, the party that opposed Bangladesh's independence during the 1971 Liberation War, will be able to participate in the discussion with the president as they have been represented in the Parliament on different occasions.
The proposal has been met with opposition from the ruling party leaders and the Jatiya Party, the opposition party in Parliament.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has refrained from giving her view on Khaleda's proposal.
"It is her proposal. Let her convey it to the president. President knows what to do. We do not have anything to say here," she said at a press conference on Saturday.