BANGLADESH

The BNP on Tuesday termed immediate past chief election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda 'biased' and said it will not accept his reappointment.

"He (Huda) tried to break a large political party. This person is biased, not impartial. He doesn't tell the truth," acting secretary general of the party, Mirza Fakhrul islam Alamgir told a discussion in the city.

He urged the government to revive the caretaker government system, saying the 'ongoing political crisis' will not be overcome if the constitutional provision is not reinstated before constitution of a new Election Commission (EC).

"You (government) still have time. Come away from the path of violence and vengeance," the spokesperson said.

The BNP leader termed 'unconstitutional' the search committee, which officially proposed names of election commissioners later in the evening.

President Mohammed Zillur Rahman had formed the committee after talks with political parties last month as the terms of Huda and the other election commissioners M Sakhawat Hussain and Muhammed Sohul Hussain were expiring this month.

The issue of Huda's reappointment was discussed when some political parties proposed during the presidential dialogue that he be reappointed and several experts on the constitution said there was no legal bar.

The panel was to propose two names against each vacant post of election commissioners, including the chief of the constitutional body, to president who will have the final say as per constitutional provisions.

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 has been saying from the beginning that they would not give any names to the committee, calling it unconstitutional.