All the political parties registered with the Election Commission (EC) have been asked to submit names with proposals for the posts of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other members of the EC by February 10 (Thursday).
The six-member Search Committee, tasked with suggesting names for the reconstitution of the next EC, came up with the call on Sunday night.
In this regard, the Cabinet Division on Sunday night also issued a circular urging the registered political parties to recommend up to 10 names for CEC and ECs by 5:00pm on Thursday.
Also, individuals interested to serve as either CEC or EC can also send their own names.
The names will have to be emailed to [email protected] or directly to the Cabinet Division (snail mail) within this time, the circular added.
The Search Committee took the decision at its first meeting held on Sunday evening. Earlier, the six-member committee was formed on Saturday.
According to sources, the Search Committee later will scrutinize those names submitted by different political parties and later it (Search Committee) will submit the highest 10 names to President Mohammad Abdul Hamid.
President Hamid formed the search committee, headed by Justice Obaidul Hassan, in line with the new law on forming the Election Commission.
The other members of the committee are Justice SM Kuddus Zaman, Comptroller and Auditor General Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, Public Service Commission Chairman Md Sohorab Hossain, former election commissioner Sohul Hussain and writer Anwara Syed Haq.
The "Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Act 2022" was published in an extraordinary gazette by the National Parliament.
Search Committee
The search committee would take decisions on majority votes and in the case of equal votes, the meeting's chair would have the authority to cast the second or deciding vote as per the law.
The committee can seek names from political parties and professional organizations for the posts of CEC and ECs.
The search committee will recommend two names against each vacant post before the president. The Cabinet Division will provide secretarial assistance to the committee.
On last January 27, the Parliament passed the Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill 2022 to have a law under Article 118 (1) of the Constitution. The President assented to the bill on January 29.
The government framed the law as the incumbent EC, headed by KM Nurul Huda, is set to fulfill its five-year tenure in mid-February.
In absence of this law, the President appointed the CEC and commissioners in the past.
The last two election commissions, headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad and KM Nurul Huda, were constituted in 2012 and 2017 through search committees formed by the president following dialogues with political parties.