TIB proposed to the president to form a special committee

TIB for special body to form new EC

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday proposed to the president to form a special committee comprising members of both ruling and opposition parties to find out candidates eligible for chief election commissioner and other commissioners.
The committee would be made up of five to seven members, including the Speaker with equal number of members from both sides, they said.
The proposals were submitted to President Zillur Rahman on December 21 through a letter, said a press release.
TIB in the letter welcomed the president's initiative to discuss the issue with the political parties.
It also proposed to list five to seven candidates suitable for the posts who would be non-political, neutral, able and beyond the question of ethics.
A proposal was also made to arrange a public hearing by the parliamentary standing committees on the selected candidates based on which a short list will be prepared.
TIB suggested that the list should be made public before submitting it to the president.
The president will announce the name of the chief election commissioner and other commissioners from the list without consulting anyone else, including the prime minister.
Executive director of TIB Dr Iftekharuzzaman said it is possible to ensure effectiveness of election commission by the participation of every concerned person, based on consensus and appointing them through a transparent process.
Formulating a complete and clear Act on appointing commissioners and chief election commissioners is necessary to ensure transparency, he said.