BANGLADESH

The search committee has recommended that the president pick either former CSP officer Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmed or former secretary Ali Imam Majumder a the chief election commissioner.

It suggested eight more names against the four positions of commissioners, one being that of a woman.

The committee members handed their recommendations for the new election commissioners to Mohammad Zillur Rahman on Tuesday

The president received the recommendations around 6:30pm at Bangabhaban.

Cabinet secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan revealed the names to journalists at Bangabhaban.

The BNP has brushed off the recommendations 'meaningless' while ruling coalition ally Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSad) said the candidates are 'honest' and 'competent' even though the names put forward by political parties were not there

CEC contender Kazi Rakib retired as the education secretary in 2003. He had also been the home secretary and was chairman of different corporations in his career.


The other man in the fray, Ali Imam, was thrust into the office of cabinet secretary in December 2006 during the caretaker government led by president Iajuddin Ahmed. He held the post during the entire rule of the military-backed caretaker government. After his retirement, the 1977 Bangladesh Civil Service batch officer was reappointed for another year on contract and finally retired in November 2008, a month before the general elections.

A Comilla resident, he discharged duties as the establishment secretary under the past BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami coalition government.

The committee proposed eight other names, including a woman and a retired army officer, against the remaining four vacant posts of election commissioners to the president who will have the final say as per constitutional provisions.

They are retired additional secretaries Mohammad Abu Hafiz and Shah Mohammad Monsurul Haque, retired joint secretary Abdul Mobarak, former police chief Hadis Uddin Ahmed, retired brigadier general Jabed Ali, former Supreme Court registrar Fazlul Karim, former sessions' judge Mohammad Shahnewaz and chief executive officer of NGO Broti Sharmin Murshid.

BNP policymaker Khandker Mosharraf Hossain told in his instant reaction to the submission of names that who manned the new Election Commission or who the search committee recommended was of no concern to the opposition.

"We feel, forming a new Election Commission is not the answer to the prevailing political crisis, instead formation of a non-partisan caretaker government holds the key," he added.

JaSad president Hasanul Haq Inu told reporters that the names suggested by the panel have worked with 'integrity' and 'proficiency' and hoped that they will deliver in the EC as well.

The Cabinet Division has been providing secretarial support to the panel headed by the Appellate Division's justice Syed Mahmud Hossain. The other members of the committee are High Court Division justice Md Nuruzzaman, Public Service Commission chairman AT Ahmedul Haque Chowdhury and comptroller and auditor general Ahmed Ataul Hakim.

It received the names from political parties until Dec 31. Ruling Awami League, Workers' Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal had sent names to the committee. But Jatiya Party, a key component of the ruling alliance, suggested no names.

The BNP-led four-party alliance snubbed the committee, calling it unconstitutional.

The president on Jan 22 formed the search committee, following a series of dialogues with political parties having representation in parliament, to reconstitute the commission.

The tenure of the incumbent commission ends in the middle of this month.