‘No trust’ in search panel

Almost all major opposition parties have refrained from submitting names to the search committee for forming the next Election Commission, citing a lack of confidence in the committee.

Five years back, 26 out of 31 registered political parties had sent names to the then search committee. The BNP were among the 26.

But this time 24 parties have put names forward out of 39.

In 2017, the then search committee sought five nominations from each political party for the posts of a chief election commissioner and four election commissioners.

This year, the parties have been asked to file 10 names, two for each of the five posts.

The BNP and its alliance partners as well as left leaning CPB and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal have not sent names this time. They are also among seven political parties who did not participate in the president's dialogue (December 20 to January 17) on formation of the EC.

Political parties who did not submit names said they have little or no confidence in the search committee. They believe that submission of nominations would make no difference in EC formation as the president cannot pick the CEC and other commissioners without consulting the prime minister.

Bangladesher Biplabi Workers Party is one of them.

"We don't have any confidence in the search committee as there are some controversial people in it. Moreover, the nominations will be finalised according to suggestions made by the prime minister," said Saiful Haque, general secretary of the party.

Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) joined the president's dialogue, but did not submit any nominations.

"We joined the talks with the president to clearly say that a free and fair election is not possible without a neutral polls-time interim government. So, submission of nominations to the search committee will not make any difference to the formation of the Election Commission," said BJP Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partha.

Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh-NAP) also joined the talks with the president, but did not recommend names.

"We wrote to the search committee mentioning that the electoral system has collapsed and people have a very little confidence in the search committee. So we are not giving any nominations," said M Golam Mustafa Bhuiyan, secretary general of the party.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the current EC should be put on trial for destroying the country's electoral system.

"We have no interest in the search committee as it has no significance. All these [formation and activities of the search committee] are meaningless," he said while exchanging views with local journalists in Thakurgaon.

Bangladesh Muslim League, a component of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, also did not put names forward.

However, the ruling Awami league and its alliance partners, including Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Workers Party of Bangladesh, have recommended names.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Cabinet Division Joint Secretary Shafiul Azim yesterday said, "A total of 24 registered political parties and six professional bodies have submitted their nominations."

He, however, refused to elaborate on which parties did not send names.

An AL delegation, led by its Information and Research Secretary Selim Mahmud, submitted a list of 10 names to the Cabinet Division yesterday.

The names were finalised at a meeting of the AL presidium members on Wednesday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the party chief, chaired the meeting.

Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal, a member of the AL-led 14-party alliance, said they submitted six names.

Before the formation of the search committee, President Abdul Hamid had invited 32 political parties to the dialogue. But 25 of them joined talks.

The search committee was formed on February 5 under the Appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act-2022.

The following day, the six-member search committee after its first meeting asked individuals to submit their CVs to the Cabinet Division either by email or in person for the five EC posts.

Around 200 people have so far sent their nominations, according to Cabinet Division sources.

"We cannot say the exact number of individual applications right now as some people also proposed names of others also. But we have received about 200 emails," said Shafiul Azim.

The previous search committees in 2012 and 2017 didn't seek applications from individuals.

The Cabinet Division is giving secretarial support to the search committee which has to propose 10 names to the president by February 24. The president will finally pick the five, according to the law.

The search committee will hold talks with civil society members, election experts and media personalities at the Supreme Court Judges Lounge today and tomorrow to get suggestions and proposals on EC formation.

The tenure of the incumbent EC expires on Monday.