BANGLADESH

The process to reform the Election Commission (EC) has begun by promoting 56 officials of the EC Secretariat after around eight years.

The EC issued the promotion order on Tuesday.

The promoted officials will now be transferred to field offices.

Those promoted include two joint secretaries, nine deputy secretaries/directors and 45 senior assistant secretaries/additional regional election officers/district election officers/deputy directors.

Returning officer Jesmin Tuli who has been promoted as a joint secretary told  that the promoted officials had joined the EC Secretariat as per a decision of the commission.

"The EC will soon issue an order to depute them in field offices," she added.

As per the Election Commission (Officers and Staff) Rules 1979, there was no provision to transfer an official to field offices once s/he was deputed to the EC Secretariat at Agargoan in the city. But initiatives were taken to reform the EC after A T M Shamsul Huda was made its chief.

As a part of the initiative, the Election Commission Secretariat Ordinance was formulated in 2009. The EC also initiated to prepare new manpower structure by amending the rule book.

The EC Ordinance 2008 separated the secretariat of the constitutional body from the Prime Minister's Office.