Workers Party for law on EC formation

Workers' Party proposed formulation of a law to appoint election commissioners during a dialogue with President M Zillur Rahman Monday on the institution of a new Election Commission (EC), reports bdnews24.com. An eight-member delegation of the party, headed by its president Rashed Khan Menon, met the President at Bangabhaban at 11:00 am. In his welcome speech, the President said the dialogue aims at taking opinions from all to form an impartial EC. After the talks, Mr Menon said: "Though Section 118 of the constitution says about formulation of law to form Election Commission, it was not done in the past 40 years. We've told the President about the significance of formulation of law in line with the Constitution." He noted that the outgoing EC has already made a draft law on this subject. The draft proposed a committee to search for election commissioners. The EC proposed that the chief justice be a member of the committee that should have at least seven members. The chief of the Workers' Party, a key-ally of ruling Awami League, thinks that the president's step will not go in vain. In reply to a question, he said: "Main opposition BNP should join the talks. The Constitution will not sit idle if they don't come." A BSS report adds: Jatiya Party (Manju) in the dialogue with the President opined that next chief and other election commissioners could be appointed as per existing process under the Constitution. "I competed in five elections under the present process of constituting the Election Commission, so I can't say the process is ineffective," JP Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju told reporters emerging from the dialogue with President M Zillur Rahman at Bangabhaban Monday. The President has initiated the dialogue with political parties for the first time to form the next election commission under political consensus. JP is the second political party Monday which joined President's dialogue following Workers' Party at the Cabinet Hall of Bangabhaban. The JP delegation consisted of 12 members including its Secretary General Sheikh Shahidul Islam. Mr Manju rejected the idea of formulating law for appointing election commissioners as suggested by some political parties earlier in talks with the President. New Election Commission could be constituted as per the existing process described in the constitution under article 118, he added. "But, the Election Commission should be formed with neutral people acceptable to all," the JP President said. Manju welcomed the first ever President - initiative to hold dialogue on appointing election commissioners. He said: "There is no other alternative to dialogue in the democratic system."