EC formation bill passed in Jatiya Sangsad

PBC News:  The much awaited “Appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill-2022” was passed in Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Thursday.

It was passed by voice vote after Law Minister Anisul Huq moved the Bill.

Earlier on January 23, the Law Minister placed the bill in the House.

The president of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Shahiduzzaman Sarkar brought the bill in the House on Wednesday with two amendment recommendations.

The President will now sign the bill and Bangladesh will get its first law on appointing the chief election commissioner and commissioners.

The tenure of the incumbent KM Nurul Huda led election commission will expire on February 14.

BSS adds: Placing the bill, the law minister said the bill has been proposed to form a six-member search committee for recommending the names of qualified persons who will be eligible for appointment of the CEC and ECs under the commission.

Before enacting the law, opposition Jatiya Party and lawmakers of other political parties like BNP, Gonoforum demanded seeking public review and the amendment of the constitution.

But, later the proposals for seeking public review by the opposition lawmakers were rejected through voice votes by the treasury bench lawmakers.

Discussing elaborately about the draft law, Huq said the enacting of the law will not by pass the article 48 of the constitution as the law has not imposed any obligation on the president to discuss others on giving his nomination for the search committee.

Talking about caretaker government provision, he said the Supreme Court and the High Court has also declared the caretaker system illegal, but the BNP has no respect to the court verdict.

Rejecting BNP’s concern to enact the law, law minister said BNP had persuaded unfair means by appointing Justice M A Aziz as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and made 1.30 crore fake voters.