DHAKA, Feb 23, 2022 (BSS) - All eyes are fixed on the Bangabhaban as

President M Abdul Hamid will get the search committee's 10 names to
constitute an Election Commission (EC) with picking up one for the Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC) and four others for election commissioners (ECs).

   "The search committee, which was assigned to make a short list to help the
President to form a strong and acceptable election commission, will hand over
a list to him tomorrow evening," President's press secretary Md
Joynal Abedin told BSS.

   He said the President, in line with the "Appointments of the Chief
Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act-2022", would
finalize the names of CEC and other four election commissioners from the list
to be placed before him at 7:30 pm tomorrow.

   The names of EC will be disclosed hopefully very shortly, the Bangabhaban
spokesman added.

   Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam, who is also the
secretary of the search committee, said the committee has finalized the 10
suitable candidates -- names of two candidates for the post of CEC and eight
others for the four posts of election commissioner.

   The cabinet secretary added that the search committee has selected 10
people from the proposed names.

   Headed by Justice Obaidul Hassan of the Appellate Division of the Supreme
Court, the other EC search committee members are: Justice SM Quddus Zaman of
the High Court Division, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Mohammad
Muslim Chowdhury, Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Mohammed Sohrab
Hossain, former Election Commissioner Mohammed Sohul Hossain and Writer Prof
Anwara Syed Haq.

   During this period, the search committee held seven meetings and four
meetings with 47 eminent personalities to garner suggestions over the EC
formation.

   On February 14, the Cabinet Division, which is providing secretarial
support to the search committee, published 322 names that the political
parties, professional bodies and individuals proposed for inclusion by the
search committee on its website.   

   The names of a few people are found more than once by checking and sorting
the list. After the correction, there were 315 names in the list. Later the
names of the list were reduced to 50 people, subsequently 20 and finally 10
names.

   Several parties including BNP and CPB did not give any list to the search
committee.

  At the very beginning, the President held talks with the registered
political parties, where BNP and a few others refused to hold sittings over
EC formation.

  Meanwhile, almost all political parties, including the ruling Awami League
and main opposition in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Jatiya Party (JaPa) took part
in the discussion.

  They proposed to enact a new law to ensure a strong and acceptable EC to
hold free, fair and credible general elections in the days to come.

  In the midst of much discussion and criticism, the parliament passed the
law over EC formation procedure on January 27.

   Later, the President formed a six-member EC search committee under it on
February 5.