Political parties want to have confidence in election commission

A new five-member election commission has been formed headed by retired secretary AMM Nasir Uddin. The newly appointed chief election commissioner (CEC) has told Prothom Alo that they would try their level best to face all challenges to ensure that people can vote for the candidate of their choice.

The political parties, including the BNP, want to have confidence in the newly formed Election Commission (EC). The BNP leaders think the formation of the election commission has conveyed a message to the people that the country has entered into an electoral process.

The five-member election commission includes three former secretaries. One of the commissioners is a former justice and the fifth member of the commission is a former army personnel. The Cabinet Division has issued a notification Thursday regarding their appointment.

Retired additional secretary Anwarul Islam Sarkar, retired district and session judge Abdur Rahmanel Masud, retired joint secretary Begum Tahmida Ahmed, and Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah have been appointed.

The Awami League government was ousted in the face of a mass uprising of students and people on 5 August. A month later, the Election Commission headed by Habibul Awal resigned on 5 September. The new EC was formed one and half months later.

BNP and their allies had been exerting pressure on the interim government for the formation of the election commission to start the electoral process. Following the formation of the new commission, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmood Chowdhury told Prothom Alo the country entered the election and democratic process with the formation of the election commission, and this message now reached the people. “Now we have to wait for how much this election commission can carry out for the preparation and process of the voting,” he said.

AMM Nasir Uddin was one of the two persons proposed by the BNP for the CEC. The interim government made him a member of the local government reform commission prior to handing him the helm of the election commission.

Leaders of the two parties from Ganatantra Manch that joined the simultaneous movement with BNP said they have confidence in this commission whereas another of that alliance, Ganosamhati Andolon chief coordinator Zonayed Saki, declined to comment on the commission saying the new election commission has none they expected.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's central Publicity Secretary Matiur Rahman Akanda told Prothom Alo Jamaat expects the new commission will repay their trust by holding an inclusive, credible, free, fair and neutral election.

Islami Andolon senior joint secretary Gazi Ataur Rahman they know none of the new commissioners except for the CEC. He told Prothom Alo, “If the CEC can work independently, we hope they will be able to revive the electoral system from the disregard and non-confidence of the people.”

Gano Odhikar Parishad (faction) Nurul Haque also gave a positive reaction. He told Prothom Alo, “The interim government obviously formed this commission after giving much thought to it. We want to keep faith in them and we also welcome them.”

Born on 1 July 1959, CEC Nasir Uddin is from Cox’s Bazar. He became a teacher in 1977 after completing post-graduation in economics at the University of Chittagong. He joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1979.

Nasir Uddin said he served as secretary to the information ministry, a member of the Planning Division, and a secretary to the power and energy ministry and the health ministry before he retired from his government job in July 2010.

Among the commissioners, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker is the former additional secretary. He was the director of the National Housing Authority and served as the chairman of the Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council in 2016 with the rank of acting secretary. He was also a chairman of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA).

Abdur Rahman Masud had been district and sessions judge for a long. He retried form judiciary recently. Commissioner Begum Tahmida Ahmad served as a joint secretary (law) at the civil aviation and tourism ministry in 2018 after serving as a joint secretary at the jute and textile ministry and as the director of the Department of Jute.

Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah, a retired Brigadier General, was a cadet of the 18 BMA (Bangladesh Military Academy) Long Course and served the Bangladesh Army for 35 years. He was the Defence Adviser at the Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad.

CEC AMM Nasir Uddin, 71, spoke to Prothom Alo a little after the government issued the gazette on his appointment. He said the election commission will combat all challenges to ensure that the people vote for their preferred candidates and they will try their level best to hold a free, fair, and neutral election.

Replying to a query on the election, he said people could not vote freely from 2014. “Many people sacrificed their lives during the movement in July and August. The main issue of the movement was ensuring the right to vote. It is not possible to betray the blood of so many people. We will exert our utmost efforts to ensure the right to vote.”

Regarding the participation of all political parties, the CEC said it is too tough to say anything in advance, as there are various discussions over different parties. “Things will be clear in time.”

The interim government established a six-member search committee, led by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury of the Appellate Division, on 31 October to identify qualified candidates for the new election commission (EC). The search committee was formed under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment Act, 2022.

Various political parties including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as other professional organisations and individuals proposed names to the search committee. No names, however, were sought from the ousted Awami League and 14-Party Alliance, as well as from the Jatiya Party.

The search committee placed a proposed list of 10 people to the president on 20 November, and the president appointed a CEC and four commissioners from the list. The CEC and other commissioners will be sworn in by the chief justice now.