EC posts: Ex-bureaucrats dominate the final list too
The search committee is likely to propose names of former bureaucrats for the helm of the next Election Commission, sources said.
Although the committee has said it would not disclose the final nominations before submitting them to the president, committee sources said ex-bureaucrats, ex-army officials, former judges, university teachers and social workers make up the final nominations.
They also said a former Secretary, joint or deputy secretary may be recommended as the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners.
Speaking to journalists, Justice Obaidul Hassan, chief of the six-member search committee, said, "The law says the committee will fix the working procedure. We fixed our working procedure and decided not to publish the final nominations. We will submit the names to the president and it is his domain. If he asks us to make the list public, it will be published."
After a two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting at the Supreme Court Judges Lounge, he said, "Without the president's permission, we cannot disclose the list."
He said the final 10 names will be fixed at the next meeting tomorrow.
He declined to make any comment when asked which professional group dominated the list so far.
The last five-member election commission, which had the first ever female election commissioner, was comprised of three former bureaucrats, one former judge and an ex-army officer.
The search committee is expected to submit the names to President Abdul Hamid on February 24, subject to the president's availability and the committee members' Covid clearance, committee sources said.
They added revealing the names before sending them to the president will be "discourteous", and some quarters may also create a controversy over it.
After its formation on February 5, the search committee asked political parties, professional bodies and individuals to submit names for the upcoming EC, as the tenure of the one led by KM Nurul Huda expired on February 14.
The panel then met with eminent citizens, election experts and media personalities in four phases for suggestions and opinions on the EC appointments.
Many of the invitees recommended that the panel disclose all the names proposed. They also said the committee should publish the names of its picks before sending them to the president.
They argued disclosing the names would ensure transparency in the process, saying people would be able to give opinions on the candidates.
The BNP and some other opposition parties did not propose any names, citing no confidence in the search committee.
All the 322 proposed names were published on the cabinet division's website, where ex-bureaucrats, followed by educationists and jurists, dominated the list.
As per the EC law, the committee will propose 10 names -- two names against each post -- to the president, who will then appoint the CEC and other four ECs.