The Jatiya Party (JP) and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) have suggested formation of two separate committees to identify eligible persons to form a new Election Commission.
The Jatiya Party, which was the first to join the dialogue with President Zillur Rahman over the issue, suggested formation of a ‘search committee’ while JSD for a 'nomination committee'.
Ershad led a 16-member JP delegation at the meeting with President Zillur Rahman that began at 11:00am.
“We proposed for a search committee. But we did not suggest any specific name for formation of the Election Commission,” JP Chairman HM Ershad told reporters Thursday emerging from dialogue with the president at Bangabhaban.
The party only suggested that the members of the 'search committee' might be picked up from among those who are on different constitutional bodies, he added.
The chief justice, auditor general, and the chairman of the Public Service Commission might be the member of the search committee, Ershad suggested.
The party will send a written statement on its proposals to the president in two or three days, he added.
Asked about main opposition BNP’s reluctance to join the ongoing dialogue, he replied: “A country will wait for none.”
Meanwhile, JSD President Hasanul Haque Inu, who led an 11-member delegation at the dialogue, said they had also suggested formation of a committee, which could consist of 10 members, styled as ‘Nomination Committee’.
"We proposed the president would form the nomination committee,” Inu told reporters after the meeting that began in the noon and continued for about an hour.
The main task of the committee will be to suggest names of eligible persons and send those to an all-party parliamentary select committee for scrutiny. After the scrutiny, the select committee will send those to president for formation of a new EC, he added.
On query, whether it suggested any name, Inu said they will send a list of names within a day or two.
About BNP's stance, Inu said, “The party has been hatching conspiracy instead of practicing democracy.”
The president took the move to seek opinions of the country's political parties on formation of a new Election Commission as the incumbent Election Commission’s tenure is going to expire by mid-February.
