Dhaka, Nov 24: Bangladesh’s newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and four other commissioners were sworn in on Sunday nearly three months after the resignation of the previous commission as deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime was toppled in a student-led mass upsurge.
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed administered the oath of office to the new commission at the Supreme Court Judges’ Lounge at a ceremony joined by the top court judges and concerned officials.
The swearing-in ceremony was staged days after a search committee appointed by the interim government of Muhammad Yunus recommended the names of the new Election Commission chief and members who previously served as civil servants, military officers and lower judiciary judges.
The new chief election commissioner (CEC) is a retired secretary to the government.
The four election commissioners are retired district judges Mohammad Anwarul Islam Sarker and Abdur Rahmanel Masud, retired joint secretary to the government Begum Tahmida Ahmed and retired army brigadier general Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed the new commission on November 21.
The commission had been vacant since September 5 when members of the previous commission, led by Kazi Habibul Awal, resigned after Hasina’s Awami League regime was toppled.
The interim government has constituted six commissions to bring reforms to the election system and other fields. The EC was installed as political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), have been asking for weeks for staging elections in the quickest possible time after required reforms in the election system. (PTI)
