The search committee will disclose all the names proposed the posts of the chief election commissioner and other commissioners today, said its head, Justice Obaidul Hassan.It also asked the political parties that have not proposed any names to submit those by 5:00pm today.
“We will accept proposals, only from political parties, till tomorrow [today]. The full list will be published on the Cabinet Division’s website later in the afternoon,” Justice Hassan told reporters yesterday during the panel’s meeting with eminent citizens at the Supreme Court Judges Lounge.
The committee had met 25 eminent citizens at the same venue on Saturday in two phases. They urged it to reveal all names proposed by political parties, professional bodies, and individuals. Besides, they suggested the committee disclose the names of its picks before sending the nominations to the president.
They said making the names public would ensure transparency in the EC appointments. The search panel, however, did not say whether it would reveal its picks before the media. The previous two search committees, formed in 2012 and 2017, did not disclose any names, ignoring demands from political parties.
The new committee received names of 329 candidates till Saturday. Of them, 136 names came from political parties, 40 from professional bodies, and 34 from individuals. Ninety-nine names were sent via emails.
The panel had written to all 39 registered political parties urging them to submit their nominations by February 11, but only 24 parties have proposed names for EC appointments.
The previous search committee, formed in 2017, had asked 31 political parties to propose five names each. In response, 26 parties, including the BNP and its alliance partners, proposed 125 names. But this year, the search panel sought 10 names from each party.