Bangladesh to reconstitute Election Commission soon for credible election

Bangladesh's caretaker government will go for reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC) soon as demanded by one of the country's political camps for holding a credible and acceptable election to all.

"We are hoping to see some developments ... We are going to reconstitute the EC as soon as possible," Mainul Hosein, advisor for Law and Parliamentary Affairs said on Saturday.

"Reconstituting the EC is complicated. We are actively engaged in recasting the EC," he said, adding that the Chief Advisor of the caretaker government Fakhruddin Ahmed asked him to do it as soon as possible.

"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."

Mainul Hosein said reconstitution of EC is a difficult job as the government cannot sack them. "We desire they will resign voluntarily," he said.

The chief election commissioner (CEC) and his deputies are of constitutional posts. So nobody can sack them unless they willingly resign.

The CEC and commissioners were appointed by the immediate past ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The former opposition Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance has been demanding reconstitution of the EC. The alliance alleged that the EC is manned by all loyalist of BNP and keeping them in EC no election will be clean and credible. The alliance has cited it as one of the reasons for boycotting the Jan. 22 elections.

The CEC MA Aziz and all his deputies were appointed by the BNP government, which ended its five-year term in October last year. In the face of stiff agitation by the AL-led grand alliance, CEC Aziz and one of his deputies have been sent on leave of absence until the earlier scheduled election on Jan. 22, but the election has been postponed for indefinite time as the grand alliance boycotted it.

The EC has been mired in controversy over preparing the voter list since MA Aziz was appointed CEC in 2005.

Along with political parties, foreign envoys, different professionals and civil society personalities have also demanded the EC be reconstituted for a clean and acceptable 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.

Bangladeshi media also favored the resignation of CEC and his deputies along throughout the country. The media said it is now time for EC authorities to find its way out to enable the caretaker government to go into business of organizing a credible election with a reconstituted EC.

Bangladesh introduced the caretaker government in 1996, which stipulates that a non-party caretaker government will supervise the national election within 90 days after it takes office.

Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed took over the post of Chief Advisor of caretaker government on Oct. 29, 2006 as five- year tenure of BNP-led four party alliance government ran out on Oct. 27, 2006.

But Bangladesh's former opposition AL alleged that Iajuddin is not a non-partisan man as he was chosen as president by BNP-led four party alliance government.

The AL-led grand alliance enforced agitation programs to boycott the Jan. 22 national election, demanding the step down of Iajuddin, cancellation of the election, correction of the voter list and reconstitution of the EC.

On Jan. 11, President Iajuddin Ahmed stepped down as chief advisor of the caretaker government and declared state of emergency in Bangladesh in the face of stiff opposition from AL- led grand alliance.

Iajuddin Ahmed postponed the elections and form a new caretaker government headed by Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed to organize the elections.

Source: Xinhua