The president-formed search committee, in its meeting on Monday, finalised 10 names of prospective election commissioners.
The committee sat for the final meeting beginning at 4:00pm at the Supreme Court Judges’ lounge, before it submits the list to the president in the evening, the cabinet division’s additional secretary Abdul Wadud told newsmen.
He, however, mentioned that it is up to the president whether he would disclose the names proposed by the search committee.
The committee decided not to publish name before submitting the list to the president.
Also, it will be decided whether the names will be published only after submitting the list to the president.
The committee members have a scheduled meeting at 6:30pm with president Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban in the evening.
On 25 January, the president formed a six-member search committee, headed by Appellate Division judge Syed Mahmud Hossain, for reconstituting the election commission (EC).
Other members of the committee are High Court Division judge Obaidul Hassan, Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Masud Ahmed, chairman of Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) Muhammed Sadique, pro-vice-chancellor of Chittagong University (CU) Shireen Akhter and DU English professor Syed Manzurul Islam.
The committee sought names of 31 registered political parties with whom the president held talks as part of the process to reconstitute the election commission.
The search committee members held meetings with 16 “distinguished” citizens in two phases.
On 30 January, it held talks with former High Court Division Judge Abdur Rashid, former Dhaka University vice-chancellors AK Azad Chowdhury and SMA Faiz, professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, DU supernumerary professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former election commissioners Muhammed Sohul Hussain and Muhammad Sakhawat Hussain, lawyer and rights campaigner Sultana Kamal, local government expert Tofayel Ahmed, former inspector general of police Nurul Huda and Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik secretary Badiul Alam Majumder.
Later on 1 February, the committee held talks with four eminent citizens – former chief election commissioner Mohammad Abu Hena, lawyer Rokonuddin Mahmud, daily Samakal editor Golam Sarwar and The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam.
The tenures of the chief election commissioner and three of his colleagues expires on 8 February while the tenure of the rest election commissioner expires on 14 February.