The ‘Search Committee’ formed for finding out eligible persons for the post of next Chief Election Commission and other members of the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday evening claimed to have shortlisted 13 names.
Justice Obaidul Hassan of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, who is the chief of the six-member ‘Search Committee’ told this after it held a meeting Sunday evening.
The six-member ‘Search Committee’ led by Justice Obaidul Hassan would meet again on Tuesday to make a final list with 10 names, which would be submitted to President Abdul Hamid on February 24.
Justice Obaidul Hassan, however, said the committee will not disclose the names recommended in the final list.
On Saturday, the list was shortlisted to 20 candidates by the committee after scrutinizing more than 300 names proposed for the formation of the Election Commission.
The search panel formed by the President held five rounds of meetings, and had three meetings with eminent citizens. The committee also published more than 300 names of the potential candidates proposed by political parties and eminent citizens of the country.
The proposed candidates included professors, judges, former secretaries and former military officers. However, there is no legal obligation that the search panel will have to finalise the list from there as the committee may also finalise the list at its own decision.
According to EC law, the search committee will carry out its responsibilities with transparency and impartiality. They will propose the names of two candidates for the post of chief election commissioner and eight candidates for the four posts of election commissioner, taking into account the qualifications, disqualifications, experience, skills and reputation required by the law.
