President M Abdul Hamid on Saturday assented to the bill titled "Appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill-2022", passed in the first session of 2022 of 11th Jatiya Sangsad.
According to an official handout, the president assented to the bill for the formation of the Election Commission (EC) and the next commission will be formed in accordance with the new law.
The bill will provide the country a legal framework for selecting the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners.
On January 23, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq tabled the bill in parliament seeking to give a legal shield to the current and previous Election Commissions formed through search committees. It was sent to the respective scrutiny committee for deeper examination.
Huq moved the bill in the parliament on Thursday and it was passed by voice vote.
On Wednesday, chairman of the committee M Shahiduzzaman Sarker placed the committee report with some changes in the original Bill.
The government move came nearly 50 years after the constitution prescribed enacting a specific law for forming the EC.
As per the proposed law, a six-member search committee will be formed following the president's approval for forming the EC.
"The search committee will recommend names of candidates for the chief election commissioner and other commissioners to the president…" it said.
In the bill, the previous two search committees have been given legal validity.
In the past, the president appointed the CEC and commissioners in absence of the law.
The last two election commissions, headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed and KM Nurul Huda, were constituted through search committees formed by the President following his dialogues with political parties.
The president picked the CEC and four election commissioners in 2012 and 2017 from the names suggested by the search committee.
This time, President Abdul Hamid also started a dialogue with registered political parties on December 20 last to discuss the issues related to the constitution of the Election Commission ahead of the 12th general election to be held at the end of 2023 or the early 2024.
The tenure of the incumbent KM Nurul Huda led election commission will expire on Feb 14.
The cabinet approved the draft of appointing CEC and other election commissioners on January 17.
