Ex-bureaucrat may head EC

The six-member search committee is likely to propose the names of two former bureaucrats for the post of chief election commissioner of the next Election Commission.

For the four posts of commissioners, the search panel would recommend eight names of persons with different professional backgrounds. Some of them may come from the civil administration, the judiciary and defence services, one of the panel members told The Daily Star yesterday on condition of anonymity.

“In any polls, election officials need to have control over field-level administration. Bureaucrats have experience needed to do the job of election officials because they work at upazila, district and division levels,” said the panel member.

In 2012, two ex-bureaucrats -- Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, former parliament secretary, and Ali Imam Majumder, former cabinet secretary -- were recommended for the post of CEC by the then search panel.

The then president Zillur Rahman later formed a five-member EC headed by Rakibuddin.

This time, almost all major political parties have proposed names of former bureaucrats for the post of CEC, according to unverified sources.

According to an official, the panel is likely to finalise the 10 names on Monday and present those to the president the following day.

For the first time, the country may get a female election commissioner, and someone with a background in the judiciary may get selected for the post, said the official seeking anonymity.

The age of all the commissioners would be below 70, added the official.

On Thursday, Additional Cabinet Secretary Abdul Wadud told journalists that the panel's next meeting would be held at the Supreme Court Judges' Lounge on Monday.

On January 25, President Abdul Hamid formed the search panel, headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, after holding a series of talks with 31 political parties on EC formation.

According to a gazette issued that day, the panel would recommend two names each for the posts of the EC chief and four election commissioners. It would present its recommendations to the president in 10 working days.

On the prime minister's advice, the president will then appoint the CEC and four commissioners.

The tenure of the Rakibuddin-led EC expires on February 8.

In its first meeting on January 28, the committee requested 31 political parties to propose five names each for the posts of CEC and commissioners by January 31.

The panel then shortlisted 20 names from 125 names proposed by 26 political parties. It, however, didn't disclose the names.

The panel has already collected information on the 20 persons and is analysing those to pick the names for the next five-member commission.

Unlike the previous search committee, this panel held meetings with civil society members to get their views on EC formation.

Suggestions made by 16 civil society members were included in a draft, which would be placed at Monday's meeting for finalisation. The suggestions may be made public later, said the official.

Headed by Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, the search panel includes Justice Obaidul Hassan, a High Court judge; Muhammed Sadique, chairman of Bangladesh Public Service Commission; Masud Ahmed, comptroller and auditor general of Bangladesh; Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam, trustee board member of Transparency International Bangladesh; and Shireen Akhter, pro-vice chancellor of Chittagong University.