Khaleda to place proposal on EC formation November 18

Signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the press note said the guidelines are to make sure that the rule of democracy and political stability are restored. The party had decided on floating the proposals to the nation on November 7 and had since been seeking permission for a rally which they have not obtained. This compelled the party to organise a press briefing at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka, according to party insiders. BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the polls-time government and the EC have to be neutral, otherwise the election would not be fair. “Our leader (Khaleda) will place specific proposals on behalf of the 20-party alliance on how to do this,” Nazrul Islam Khan said. He added that the proposals had been worked on by BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir; its standing committee members Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury; and five other central leaders. The tenure of the current Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad-led EC expires in February 2017. Leaders of the ruling Awami League, which oversaw the 2014 general elections, said a search committee would be formed to pick new election commissioners, as had been done in 2012. BNP boycotted the 2014 election as its demand for a ‘non-partisan' polls-time government was not met.