Political parties have reached a consensus to incorporate a constitutional provision for forming a selection committee to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners, according to the National Consensus Commission (NCC).
NCC Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz made the announcement on Wednesday following the 18th day of discussions between the Commission and political parties, held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
"A revised proposal has been tabled to amend Article 118(1) of the Constitution," Prof Riaz said. The amendment aims to establish a full-fledged Election Commission consisting of a CEC and other commissioners as prescribed by law.
As per the new proposal, a five-member selection committee, headed by the Speaker of Parliament, will be formed to nominate suitable candidates. The committee will begin the selection process 90 days prior to the end of the outgoing commission's term.
The other members of the selection committee will be the deputy speaker (from the opposition party), the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, and a judge of the Appellate Division nominated by the chief justice.
The committee will actively search for candidates, including inviting "letters of intent" and collecting relevant information. It will scrutinise resumes and recommend one candidate for the post of chief election commissioner and others for the commissioner posts.
The recommendations will be sent to the President for appointment, who will finalise the appointments for a five-year term.
The National Parliament Secretariat will provide administrative support to the selection committee under the Speaker's supervision.
Prof Riaz further noted that upon the expiry of the outgoing commission's term -- or if the positions fall vacant -- the newly appointed commissioners will assume office the following day to ensure continuity.
Also, the proposal includes a requirement for the Parliament to enact separate laws and codes of conduct to enhance the Election Commission's accountability.
A total of 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen (NCP), participated in the dialogue.
The BNP agreed to the formation of the committee.
Its Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said, "Simply declaring the Election Commission's independence in the Constitution is not enough - its effective independence must be ensured through a credible appointment process."
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