The Search Committee formed for the constitution of the next Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday held a meeting with four senior journalists.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) former president Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Channel I Director (news) Shykh Seraj, English daily The Business Standard Editor Inam Ahmed and Bengali daily Bangladesh Pratidin editor Naem Nizam joined the meeting at Supreme Court Judges' Lounge.
After the meeting, Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and Naem Nizam addressed journalists. They highlighted that the meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere.
"We have opined that those who have acceptability to all, who are honest, competent and believe in the spirit of Liberation War and have no involvement with any financial scams, should be appointed as election commissioners," Naem said.
Bulbul said the search committee should not give importance to any particular profession, instead ensuring that the EC is balanced.
“We said women and minority communities should be represented on the commission on the basis of capability,” he said.
The journalist leaders added that the search committee would accept names suggested by political parties and individuals until February 24.
The search committee held meetings with 47 eminent personalities in four phases on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday for suggestions on forming the next EC.
On Monday, the Cabinet Division, which is providing secretarial support to the search committee, published 322 names which political parties, professional bodies and individuals had proposed for the next EC.
The search committee will have to propose 10 names to President Abdul Hamid. The president will then pick five names for forming the next EC, as per the law.
Earlier, on February 5, the government issued a gazette notification announcing a six-member search committee headed by Justice Obaidul Hassan, a judge of the Appellate Division, to form the next Election Commission (EC).
The other members of the search committee are High Court Division Judge S M Quddus Zaman, Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, Chairman of Public Service Commission Sohorab Hossain, former election commissioner Mohammed Sohul Hossain and Professor of Bangla literature Anwara Syed Haq.
On Sunday, the committee extended the deadline for the submission of names to 5pm on Monday and urged the BNP to post names as well.
The BNP is among the parties that did not come to President Md Abdul Hamid’s talks on the formation of the EC and did not send names to the committee as well.