The Election Commission will send
a proposal to the government for making a law on appointment of commissioners.
"Though the Election
Commission has an independent legal structure its fairness and transparency
depends on the appointment of commissioners," chief election commissioner
ATM Shamsul Huda told a roundtable organized by Transparency International,
Bangladesh at BRAC Centre Inn yesterday.
The EC had sent a draft proposal
to the interim government for formulating an ordinance on the appointment, with
priorities attached to 'on condition of provisions of law' in the recruitment
of chief election commissioner and election commissioners.
The draft proposal, titled 'The
Election Commissioners' (Method of Recruitment) Ordinance' was on forming a
three-member commission, including a woman member, with qualified, neutral and
acceptable people.
A search committee will be formed to nominate panel of candidates after
examining their qualifications in line with the law. The parliamentary advisery
committee will finalize it.
Before that the EC will send the
recommendations of the search committee to the Prime Minister's Office.
An election commissioner loses his/her neutrality if the appointment is made by
the government or if he/she is appointed to another constitutional position
while holding a constitutional position, Huda said.
Mentioning such irregularities, Huda said: "The Commission will not be able to work independently if right persons are not appointed. Right and qualified people should be given appointment." He believed that the advisory committee can make the appointment and added that they would send a proposal to the prime minister for formulating the law. Criticizing the previous Election Commission, he said: "The past commission did not leave anything for us. We had to start from scratch."
We have more here from our another stringer , Amir Khasu .