The interim government is going to form a search committee to find eligible persons towards reconstituting the Election Commission (EC) which will oversee the next national election.
Formation of the EC is a major issue now being widely discussed in the political circle as political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), have been demanding that the interim government announce poll roadmap since the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government amid a mass upsurge.
The new EC will oversee the 13th parliamentary elections.
Amid the talks, Law Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul on Tuesday said that the list of persons, who would be in the search committee, has already been finalised.
“Once the official notification is signed by the Chief Adviser, the names of the persons for the search committee will be announced in a day or two,” he told reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. Sources at the Supreme Court say that Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed has already proposed the name of Justice Zubaeyr Rahman Chowdhury, a senior judge of the Appellate Division, as the head of the search committee while senior Justice AKM Asaduzzaman of the High Court as a member of the committee.
After the nominations, the Supreme Court administration has sent their names to the Cabinet Division, sources said.
Following a political changeover, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on September 5 announced the resignation of a five-member commission just a month after the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Talking to reporters, Law Adviser Nazrul said that formation of the search committee to reconstitute the EC signaled the start of the election process of the interim government.
“The process for our government to gear up for the election has begun. You could say that the journey towards the national election has begun,” he said.
He further said that once the EC is constituted, the priority would be updating the voter list to eliminate fake entries allegedly added by the previous government.
Responding to a question on the fate of the Awami League, the law affairs adviser said the people of Bangladesh would decide whether the AL and its 14-party alliance would be allowed to contest the national polls.
“It's ultimately up to the people to decide whether this party that has shown no remorse for genocide should be allowed to contest the polls before facing trial,” he said.
The law adviser also noted that the trial must precede any conclusive decision on AL’s eligibility for election.
Amid debate in and outside Parliament, Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Appointment Bill, 2022 was passed.
According to the law, a justice of the Appellate Division, nominated by the Chief Justice, will be the head of the six-member Search Committee.
A justice of the High Court Division nominated by the Chief Justice, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission and two others nominated by the President will be the other members of the panel.
The Search Committee will be given a 15 days instead of 10 days to propose the names for the CEC and other election commissioners. It will propose two names against each post for reconstituting the EC.
According to a provision of the law, individuals, if sentenced to two-year imprisonment, cannot be eligible for the CEC.
Before the passage of the bill, lawmakers from Jatiya Party, BNP and ruling party allies Workers Party of Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal proposed sending the bill to the standing committee concerned again for taking further public opinions on it.
They also said the law is enacted to give a legal shield to the Search Committee and the EC so that no question can be raised in any court about the law.
