Newly-appointed Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal and four election commissioners took oath of office on Sunday afternoon. Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique administered the oath at the Judges’ Lounge of the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Registrar General Md Ali Akbar moderated the function. President Md Abdul Hamid on Saturday appointed former Senior Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal as the CEC as well as four others --District and Session Judge (Retd) Begum Rashida Sultana, Brig Gen (Retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, Senior Secretary (Retd) M Alamgir and Senior Secretary (Retd) Anisur Rahman as the election commissioners. The new Election Commission, constituted for the first time under a law in line with the Constitution, will take charge of office on Monday. The immediate past commission, headed by KM Nurul Huda, completed its five year tenure on February 14 last.   Read: President appoints former defence secretary Kazi Habibul Awal as the new CEC Kazi Habibul Awal went on retirement as defence secretary in January, 2015. The new election commission was also formed through a search committee as was done in case of the last two commissions in 2017 and 2012. The search committee, headed by Justice Oabidul Hassan of the Appellate Division, proposed 10 names –two against each post— for the appointment of CEC and ECs. President Abdul Hamid received the 10 names on Thursday last. Earlier, the search committee sought the names for the EC’s constitution from registered political parties. But BNP and several others did not send any names. The committee also held a series of meetings with eminent citizens, civil society representatives and media personalities in this regard. The newly formed Kazi Habibul Awal-led Election Commission will face the challenge to conduct the 12th parliamentary elections to be held in late 2023 or early 2024. The five-year tenure of the incumbent parliament will expire on January 28, 2024. But the general election shall be held within 90 days before the expiry of Parliament.

Shushaner Janniya Nagorik (Shujan) on Thursday asked the Search Committee constituted for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners to disclose the list of the 10 final names three days before its submission to the President. It also suggested the Search Committee to disclose who actually proposed which names for the posts of CEC and election commissioners for the sake of transparency Shujan Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumder placed the suggestions at an online press conference, said a press release. Also read: Next Election Commission: 322 names proposed to search committee published “The search committee needs to reveal its modus operandi immediately before people for the sake of maintaining its absolute transparency and neutrality,” he said. Dr Majumder, in his written statement, said transparency cannot be ensured if incomplete information is revealed or information was concealed. “The Search Committee needs to disclose the proposers – individuals, political parties and professional bodies—beside the names of initially suggested 322 people (exact 315 names). And it needs to prepare and publish a list of 20-30 persons, including one-third women from the primary list,” he said. Then the Search Committee should prepare the final list of 10 people, including a report, and publish the list and report the people three days before these are sent to the President, said the Shujan Secretary. Also read: Search committee asks political parties to suggest names for CEC, ECs Shujan President M Hafizuddin Khan, its members Dr Shahdeen Malik, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Dr Shahnaz Huda and Robaet Ferdous, among others, spoke at the conference.

Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda paid a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban on Sunday. He was accompanied by his colleagues- Mahbub Talukdar, Rafiqul Islam and Kabita Khanam. Read: Gazette published fixing eligibility and ineligibility criteria for CEC, election commissioners The five-year tenure of Huda-led commission expires on Monday. During the meeting, the team briefed the president about their activities in the past five years, Joynal Abedin, president's press secretary told UNB. They thanked the President for his co-operation and guidance in carrying out their duties.  Huda handed over to the president the Bangla version of the Representation of the People Order 1972 and the Delimitation of constituencies for the Jatiya Sangsad Act 2021.  The president was given a smart national identity card with Heroic Freedom Fighters inscribed on it. President Hamid said that election is an important part of a democratic process. The Election Commission plays a key role in conducting elections. The cooperation of political parties and the people is essential for a fair and credible election.  Read: President’s dialogue: NAP leaders want law to form election commission He hoped that in the upcoming EC will conduct all local government elections in more free and acceptable manner with cooperation of all political parties. Secretary to the President's Office Sampad Barua, Military Secretary Major General SM Salah Uddin Islam, Press Secretary to the President Joynal Abedin, and Secretary to the Election Commission Humayun Kabir Khandaker were present on the occasion.

The six-member search committee, tasked with suggesting names for the formation of the next Election Commission, has called upon the registered political parties to send nominations for the posts of chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners (ECs). The Cabinet Division issued a circular today, urging the registered political parties to recommend up to 10 names for CEC and ECs by 5pm Thursday. Also, individuals interested to serve as either CEC or EC can also send their own names. The names will have to be emailed to [email protected] or directly to the Cabinet Division (snail mail) within this time, the circular added. President Abdul Hamid formed the search committee, headed by Justice Obaidul Hassan, in line with the new law on forming the Election Commission. The other members of the committee are Justice SM Kuddus Zaman, Comptroller and Auditor General Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, Public Service Commission Chairman Md Sohorab Hossain, former election commissioner Sohul Hussain, and writer Anwara Syed Haq. The "Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Act 2022" was published in an extraordinary gazette by the National Parliament. Search committee  The search committee would take decisions on majority votes and in the case of equal votes, the meeting's chair would have the authority to cast the second or deciding vote as per the law.   The committee can seek names from political parties and professional organisations for the posts of CEC and ECs. The search committee will recommend two names against each vacant post before the president. The Cabinet Division will provide secretarial assistance to the committee. On January 27 last, Parliament passed the Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill 2022 to have a law under the Article 118 (1) of the Constitution. The president assented to the bill on January 29. The government framed the law as the incumbent EC, headed by KM Nurul Huda, is set to fulfil its five-year tenure in mid-February. In absence of this law, the president appointed the CEC and commissioners in the past. The last two election commissions, headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad and KM Nurul Huda, were constituted in 2012 and 2017 through search committees formed by the president following dialogues with political parties.

The gazette on the Election Commission formation law has been published fixing three eligibility and six ineligibility criteria for the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. The ‘Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Act, 2022’ was published in an extraordinary gazette by the National Parliament of Bangladesh on Saturday with immediate effect. Read:Bangladesh one step away to have a law on EC formation Three eligibility criteria are: According to the law, there must be three qualifications for CEC and Election Commissioners and those are: They must be Bangladeshi citizens; minimum 50 years of age; and have at least 20 years of work experience in important government, judicial, semi-government, private or autonomous posts or professions. Six ineligibility criteria are: if a person is declared insane by any appropriate court; has not been released from the liabilities after being declared as ' bankruptcy '; acquires the citizenship of or affirms the allegiance to  a foreign country; has been sentenced imprisonment being convicted for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude; convicted under International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 or Bangladesh Collaborators (Special Tribunals) Order, 1972 ; and is disqualified for holding such posts by or under any law , he or she would not be eligible for the post of CEC and election commissioners. Search Committee   As per the law, the President shall form a six-member search committee to recommend the names of qualified persons against the vacant posts of CEC and Election Commissioners. An Appellate Division justice, nominated by the Chief Justice, will be the head of the search committee. The five other members will be a justice of the High Court Division, nominated by the Chief Justice; the Comptroller and Auditor General; the Chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission; two other eminent personalities including one woman nominated by the President. The search committee would take decisions on majority votes and in the case of equal votes, the meeting’s chair would have the authority to cast the second or deciding vote as per the law.    The committee can seek names from political parties and professional organisations for the posts of CEC and election commissioners. The search committee will recommend two names against each vacant post before the President. The Cabinet Division will provide secretariat assistance to the Search Committee. Read: Report on EC formation Bill placed in parliament Background On January 27 last, Parliament passed the Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill, 2022 in order to have a law under the Article 118 (1) of the Constitution. The President assented to the bill on January 29. The government framed the law as the incumbent Election Commission, headed by KM Nurul Huda, is set to fulfil its five-year tenure in mid-February. In absence of this law, the President appointed the CEC and commissioners in the past. The last two election commissions, headed by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad and KM Nurul Huda, were constituted in 2012 and 2017 through search committees formed by the President following dialogues with political parties.