Dhaka: President Abdul Hamid on Wednesday formed a six-member search committee, headed by Supreme Court’s Appellate Division judge Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, for reconstituting the new Election Commission (EC).

The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification in the afternoon publishing the names of the search committee members, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Abdul Wadud told news agency UNB.

Other members of the committee are High Court Division judge Justice Obaidul Hassan, Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Masud Ahmed, Chairman of Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) Dr Muhammed Sadique, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Chittagong University (CU) Prof Dr Shireen Akhter and Dhaka University (DU) English Department teacher Prof Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam.

The search committee will recommend two names against each post, including at least a woman, to President Abdul Hamid within 10 working days for appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and other commissioners, said Abdul Wadud. 

Earlier, President Abdul Hamid sent the names to the Cabinet Division for publishing a gazette notification.

President Abdul Hamid held a month-long dialogue with political parties on the formation of a new Election Commission (EC). The talks ended on January 18.

President Hamid held talks with 31 political parties, including ruling Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party (Ershad).

During the talks, the political parties separately placed a series of proposals and most of them proposed enacting a law for the EC formation.