EC to sit with civil society on July 31

In the run up to the next parliamentary elections, the Election Commission (EC) will begin its planned series of dialogues with experts, political parties and other stakeholders from July 31 next to sort out poll related issues.

At the outset, the EC will hold discussions with the civil society at 10.45am on July 31, Director (Public Relations) of the EC Secretariat SM Asaduzzaman told BSS at his office at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar today.

He said the EC will start dialogues with the civil society, political parties, stakeholders, media personnel, observer organizations and former election commissioners from July 31. The parleys will cover the months from August to October.

The EC director said issues including constituency boundary re-demarcation, advices on making a proper voter list and review of the electoral laws will get priority in the dialogues.

Asaduzzaman said the EC invited 59 civil society representatives for the July 31 dialogue.

The invited personalities included former advisors to the Caretaker Government Dr Akbar Ali Khan, M Hafiz Uddin Khan, Advocate Sultana Kamal, Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Dr Wahid Uddin Mahmud, Begum Rasheda K Chowdhury, Mirza Azizul Islam, Begum Rokeya A Rahman and Hossain Zillur Rahman, Justice Golam Rabbani, former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Farash Uddin, Barrister Rafiq-ul-Haque, Dr Shahdin Malik, former Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumdar, former Secretary Dr Saadat Hossain, CPD Fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattachariya, Major (Retd.) SM Shamsul Arefin, Professor Nazrul Islam, Dr Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, Professor Dr Ajoy Roy, Dr Kazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, Professor Syed Anwar Hossain, Professor MM Akash, Professor Muhammad Jafar Iqbal, Asif Nazrul, Professor Tasnim Siddique, Professor Dilara Chowdhury, Professor Abul Barakat, Tareq Shamsur Rehman, eminent journalist Syed Abul Maqsud and TIB Executive Director Ifthekharuzzaman.

Source: BSS