EC search committee holds meeting with 25 eminent citizens

The newly formed search committee for proposing names to appoint Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners for the next Election Commission (EC) Saturday held meetings with the country’s 25 eminent citizens. The eminent citizens took part in the meetings in two phases at 11:25am and 1pm at the Judges' Lounge of the Bangladesh Supreme Court building with search committee chief Justice Obaidul Hassan in the chair.

Senior lawyer Yusuf Hossain Humayun, former caretaker government adviser AF Hassan Ariff, lawyer and former attorney general Fida M Kamal, Lawyer Munsurul Haque Chowdhury, lawyer MK Rahman, Dr Shahdeen Malik, Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor (Education) Dr Maqsud Kamal, DU Professor Dr Burhan Uddin Khan, Professor Dr Asif Nazrul, President of the Bangladesh Asiatic Society Professor Mahfuza Khanam, Brati's Chief Executive Sharmeen Murshid and Fair Election Monitoring Alliance President Munira Khan joined the first meeting.

Besides, Ajker Patrika Editor Golam Rahman, Press Club President Farida Yasmin former president of the Jatiya Press Club and Jugantor Editor Saiful Alam, Editor-in-Chief of Ekattur TV Mozammel Babu, Ittefaq Editor Tasmima Hossain, Bhorer Kagoj Editor Shyamal Dutta, Dainik Jagoran Editor Abed Khan, Channel 24 Managing Director AK Azad, NTV's Jahirul Alam, senior journalist Swadesh Roy and Ganasasthya Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury joined the second meeting.

Search committee members Justice SM Kuddus Zaman, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Mohammed Sohrab Hossain, former Election Commissioner Mohammed Sohul Hossain and Writer Professor Anwara Syed Haq were present at the meeting.

After coming out of the meeting, the participants said the discussions were held in a cordial environment where they expressed their personal opinions. They are hopeful about forming an acceptable EC through this process. The search committee will hold another meeting with some other eminent citizens tomorrow. According to the search committee officials, a total of 24 registered political parties, including ruling Awami League, have submitted 329 names proposing for the posts of CEC and ECs for the next EC.

Earlier, the search committee issued letters to the registered political parties seeking names by 5pm Friday (February 11) for constituting new Election Commission comprising chief election commissioner and other commissioners.

Earlier, President M Abdul Hamid on February 5 formed the six-member search committee to constitute the Election Commission (EC) as per the 'Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment Act 2022’ for conducting the next general elections. The tenure of the current EC will expire on February 14 (Monday).