EC reconstitution likely in a couple of days

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The caretaker government is likely to reconstitute the Election Commission (EC) within a couple of days, fulfilling one of its main priorities towards creating conditions for holding free and fair polls.

Law Adviser Mainul Hosein told The Daily Star last night, “A new chief election commissioner will be appointed…There is no question of sending people on leave anymore, they [the controversial EC commissioners] will have to resign.”

The 300 field level election officials are also unlikely to be given any election duties while the EC Secretariat is also likely to go through a major reshuffle, sources said.

Adviser Mainul said he discussed the matter with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed on Friday. “The EC reconstitution process will be evident within the next day or two,” he added.

Sources said President Iajuddin Ahmed is likely to ask Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz and election commissioners SM Zakaria and Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury to resign.

Bangabhaban officials said the chief adviser is likely to address the nation either today or tomorrow when he will announce the caretaker government’s moves, among other things.

The Awami League (AL) led grand alliance had earlier cited the present EC members’ bias towards the immediate-past BNP-led coalition government as one of the reasons for boycotting the January 22 elections.

CEC Aziz and Election Commissioner SM Zakaria have already been sent on leave as part of a package deal between the Iajuddin Ahmed-led former caretaker government and the major political parties.

Saiful Alam and Modabbir were appointed in the posts, but the AL-led alliance opposed their appointment, alleging they also have bias towards the BNP.

Meanwhile, the EC is likely to publish a gazette notification today to cancel the ninth parliamentary election schedule.

Regarding the EC recast, Mainul told The Daily Star, “We are hoping to see some developments…We are going to do this as soon as possible.

“Reconstituting the EC is complicated. We are actively engaged in recasting the EC,” he said, adding that the chief adviser asked him on Friday if it can be done quickly.

Mainul said the caretaker government will sit with the political parties after the EC recast to discuss preparation of voters’ ID cards, transparent ballot boxes, and possible election schedules.

EC Secretary Abdur Rashid Sarker told UNB that the EC will hold a meeting today on cancellation of the January 22 polls.

Earlier on January 15, Acting CEC Mahfuzur Rahman told newsmen that elections would not be held on January 22 and had been deferred for the time being.

The EC has been mired in controversy over preparing the voter list since CEC Aziz took office on May 23, 2005 during the BNP-led coalition’s rule.

Along with political parties, foreign envoys, different professionals’ organisations and civil society personalities have also demanded the EC be reconstituted to hold a free and fair election.

US-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) found in a study that at least 13 million voters in the updated voter list were either excess or duplicates.

The EC spent nearly Tk 60 crore to prepare a fresh voter list, which was later cancelled by the High Court under charges that the CEC had taken unilateral decision for the task ignoring two other election commissioners’ suggestions for updating the voter list.

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