TDS Desk:

Speakers at a policy dialogue today said the country needs a suitable law aiming not only to appoint next Election Commissioners (ECs) but also to institutionalize their appointments so that the citizens can see a new Election Commission (EC) capable to conduct credible elections.

As the existing ‘Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment Act 2022’ does not ensure appointments of credible ECs, Bangladesh needs to rewrite this law or formulate a new one to make the EC more efficient and credible in conducting neutral and participatory elections, they said.

Democracy International organized the policy dialogue on ‘Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) in Bangladesh’ at a city hotel with Distinguished Fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue(CPD) Professor Dr Rounaq Jahan in the chair while Dana L. Olds of Democracy International gave welcome speech.

Adviser of the interim government on the textile and jute and shipping ministries Brigadier General (retd.) Sakhawat Hussain attended the dialogue as chief guest.

Principal Director of Democracy International Dr Md Abdul Alim gave policy brief presentation on the topic.

Electoral Reform Commission chief Badiul Alam Majumdar, Presidium member of Jatiyo Party Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary, BNP’s assistant international affairs secretary Barrister Rumeen Farhana, Chief Coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolan Zonayed Saki, Professor Dr Zarina Khan of Dhaka University’s Public Administration Department, Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haq Nur, Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM)Chairman Bobby Hajjaj, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Publicity Affairs Secretary Matiur Rahman Akanda and Student leader of Anti Discrimination Student Movement Ariful Islam Adib also took part in the dialogue, among others.

In his speech Sakhawat Hussain said if appointments of ECs are made under an interim or caretaker administration, it would be more transparent, neutral and acceptable.

Other speakers said search committee for appointments of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners (ECs) should be formed with neutral non-partisan professionals from both public sector and civil society.

Such search committee must be independent and free from any kind of influence, they added.

They appreciated the interim government for its electoral system reform initiatives.

The speakers put emphasis on appointing credible, qualified, experienced and neutral individuals as CEC and other ECs.

However, if the appointments of CEC and other ECs are not made in a credible and transparent manner, the commissioners cannot perform responsibilities independently, which results in unfair, unreliable and unacceptable elections, they added.

They said there were many examples in the world of independent-ECs that failed to conduct credible elections due to recruitment of people as CEC and ECs who lacked integrity and required experiences.