BANGLADESH

If the chief justice agrees, the newly-appointed chief election commissioner and the four election commissioners will be taking the oath of office on Thursday, the Election Commission secretary says.

"We have received the gazette on the appointment of the new CEC and four commissioners. We will request the chief justice to make arrangements for their swearing-in on Thursday," Mohammad Sadique told Wednesday evening.

If everything goes fine, the oath administration ceremony will take place on Thursday afternoon, he said.

President Zillur Rahman appointed former CSP officer Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed as the new CEC. Retired additional secretary Mohammad Abu Hafiz, retired joint secretary Abdul Mobarak, retired brigadier general Mohammad Jabed Ali and retired sessions judge Mohammad Shahnewaz were appointed as Rakib's deputies.

The EC received the gazette in the afternoon following its issuance by the Cabinet Division.

When asked about the administration of oath, Supreme Court registrar A K M Shamsul Islam told arrangements will be made after they receive EC Secretariat's letter.

"If they request to conduct the swearing-in on Thursday, the time will be fixed in line with the chief justice's schedule," he said.

The president on Jan 22 formed a search committee, following a series of dialogues with political parties having representation in parliament, to reconstitute the top polls panel as the tenure of the incumbent commission ends in the middle of this month.

Zillur Rahman accepted recommendations from the search committee headed by a Supreme Court judge, who submitted a list of 10 names, including two for the CEC's post, and he finalised the five on Wednesday from that list.

Meanwhile, EC officials have said that one of the new commissioners' swearing-in could be postponed as the term of election commissioner M Shakhawat Hossain is due to end on Feb 14.