Talks help president reconstitute strong EC: Bangabhaban

Hasanul Haq Inu-led Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal on Monday placed a seven-point proposal to the president, Abdul Hamid, which included enactment of a law as stipulated in the constitution, before reconstituting the Election Commission. 
JSD general secretary Shirin Akhter said president Hamid gave a patient hearing to their presentation and agreed in principle that there should be a legal framework behind the Election Commission. 
The party also proposed for reconstituting a five-member EC with at least one woman election commissioner. 
A 12-member delegation of the JSD headed by its president Hasanul Haq Inu made the proposals during a talk with the president at Bangabhaban, in the afternoon.
The president welcomed the JSD delegation and expressed his hope that the well-thought-out proposals of different political parties would help him reconstitute a strong Election Commission, says a press release, issued by the Bangabhaban. 
Other delegation members were JSD senior leaders Rabiul Alam, Mir Hossain Akhter, Mosharraf Hossain, MA Karim, Anwar Hossain, Iqbal Hossain Khan, Habibur Rahman Shawkat, Zikrul Ahmed, Nurul Akhter and Nader Chowdhury. 
Emerging from Bangabhaban, Shirin Akhter told journalists that they requested the president to reconstitute the EC with the people who believe in the spirit of the country’s liberation war and four basic principles of the constitution.
She said during the meeting, they stressed the need for a law to ensure an acceptable and independent EC which they had also proposed in 2011 before commencement of the incumbent EC, through a search committee. 
She, however, said that her party would accept the decision to be made by the president for making a new EC after soliciting opinions from all the registered political parties. 
The JSD general secretary said that they had mentioned in their proposal that the search committee would propose three names against one election commissioner (thus a total of 15 against 5 commissioners) and that would be made public before sending the list to the president. 
The proposal for enactment of a law for formation of the Election Commission was earlier placed by HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party and Liberal Democratic Party, during their talks with the president, last week.

Shirin said the search committee would have to be formed with the Chief Justice nominated two justices from Appellate Division and High Court Division, respectively, and that the other persons should hold constitutional positions. 
JSD faction president Inu told the reporters that they believe that the president would be able to reconstitute an acceptable Election Commission in the end of the ongoing talks.
President Hamid opened dialogue on restructuring the EC with Bangladesh Nationalist Party on December 18, as the tenure of Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad-led commission would expire February 2017.
The president already held talks with HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party, Liberal Democratic Party and Krishak Sramik Janata League.
The president will hold talks with the Workers Party of Bangladesh today on the reconstitution of EC 
There is a provision in the constitution for a law to create an Election Commission but Bangladesh made no law in the last 45 years into its independence. 
Currently, the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and four other election commissioners has been made by the president.

- See more at: http://www.newagebd.net/article/5668/talks-help-president-reconstitute-strong-ec-bangabhaban#sthash.a0Gohws0.dpuf