The search committee responsible for forming the new Election Commission has called upon political parties to send in the nominations for the positions of chief election commissioner (CEC) and other commissioners by Friday evening.
The invitation letters will be sent to registered political parties by Wednesday 12pm so that they can send the names of their nominees to the Cabinet Division by 5 pm on Friday, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told the media after the second meeting of the committee on Tuesday.
The political parties can propose a maximum of 10 names, he said, adding that names would be sought from professional organizations as well.
According to the top government official, the committee will hold meetings with these organizations on Saturday.
Moreover, it would also meet with about 60 eminent citizens, including journalists, on Sunday, he said.
Responding to queries over the BNP's lack of confidence in the search committee, the cabinet secretary said there was no scope to question the impartiality of the committee, which is completely neutral.
The search committee, during the initial meeting on Sunday, said that no meetings would be held with political parties, which would be asked to turn in nominations through e-mail. However, the decision was later changed.
The cabinet secretary said, so far, 30 names had been submitted by email regarding the nominations.
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 an Election Commission (EC).
Other members of the search committee include 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.
