Letter on EC search body likely today

The President's Office would send a letter to the cabinet division this noon on the formation of the search committee to constitute the next Election Commission, said a source in the Bangabhaban.

Joynal Abedin, press secretary to the president, told The Daily Star yesterday that the letter to the cabinet division would be sent within a day or two.

The letter might suggest some people as members of the search committee, the highly-placed Bangabhaban source said.

In 2012, the then president Zillur Rahman formed a search committee to constitute the EC after holding talks with 23 registered political parties.

Following the talks, Zillur Rahman formed a four-member search committee led by Supreme Court Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain to recommend people for appointment as the chief election commissioner and election commissioners.

Sources said the search committee this time is likely to have more members, including a woman.

The search committee will constitute the next EC which would oversee the parliamentary elections in 2019.

President Hamid started talks with political parties on December 18 last year for forming the new EC through consensus. The president held talks with 31 political parties.

Like the previous time, the cabinet division will be playing the secretarial role after the formation of the search committee.

Meanwhile, the BNP secretary general yesterday alleged that the ruling Awami League had made the president's dialogue initiative on formation of new EC controversial as it wanted to stay in power by creating political instability.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also warned that the people would never accept it if a “subservient Election Commission” is formed in line with the “AL's desire”.

He made the comments while speaking at a milad and doa mahfil at the party's Naya Paltan headquarters, marking the second death anniversary of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's younger son Arafat Rahman Koko.

Koko died of cardiac arrest at the age of 45 in Malaysia on January 24, 2015. BNP and its associate bodies took various programmes to mark the day.

In his speech, Fakhrul said, “The Awami League will not be able to stay in power if a free and fair election is held in a congenial atmosphere. So, they always create chaos by destroying the country's political stability.

“As part of it, the party has already made the president's dialogue initiative controversial.”

He also added that there was a belief among people that the president would constitute a credible EC as he had talked to the political parties.

“But the Awami League leaders are making controversial comments about it only to make the move futile,” he observed.

He also alleged that the government had established “a reign of terror” across the country by resorting to repressive acts, killing and enforced disappearances to hang onto power illegally and unethically.

Fakhrul urged his party colleagues to get organised to remove the current “undemocratic and evil force” from power.

A special prayer was offered later seeking the eternal peace of Koko's departed soul.