Law for EC formation a priority, search committee a last resort: Gonotantri Party, Khilafat Andolon

Both the Bangladesh Khilafat Andolon and the Gonotantri Party have proposed enacting the relevant law for the formation of the Election Commission (EC).

In a dialogue with President Abdul Hamid on Monday, they, however, said if time constraints did not allow for the formulation of the law, a council comprising the prime minister, opposition leader, speaker, chief justice and attorney general could be formed.

Gonotantri Party President Barrister Md Arash Ali said no one had tried to make any law for the formation of the EC in the last 50 years, even though political parties and citizens were in favour of it.

He added that if legislation was not possible, then a search committee could be formed as an alternative. The search committee would nominate five candidates for each post, including that of the chief election commissioner. The list would be submitted to the council for shortlisting, after which it will be submitted to the president who will make the necessary appointments.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Khilafat Andolon Organising Secretary Mufti Sultan Mohiuddin, echoing Arash's sentiments, said, "If there is a law, there will never be a debate on the formation of the Election Commission."

The Islamist party also demanded that the requirement of reserving 33% of committee positions for forming political parties be changed from being mandatory to voluntary.

The BNP, which boycotted the talks, the Gono Forum (Mostafa Mohsin Montu-led faction), Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh and Islami Andolan have said the dialogue will not yield any fruitful result.

Till date, 12 of 16 political parties, who were invited in the first phase, have joined the talks. 

The president started the dialogue on 18 December with the Jatiya Party, the main opposition in the parliament.

He is scheduled to hold talks with 31 out of 39 political parties registered with the EC before appointing the chief election commissioner (CEC) and other commissioners.

The president has to form a new EC before the expiration of the tenure of the existing commission on 14 February, 2022. The new EC will conduct the next national election.

With the polls-time caretaker government abolished in 2011 by a constitutional amendment, the last two national elections were held under the ruling Awami League.

The tenure of the current EC will end on 14 February this year and the new one, according to the constitution, will have to be appointed before that date. The new commission will hold the next general election in December 2023 or early 2024.