Law Minister Anisul Huq has dropped a broad hint at the constitution of a committee to pick election commissioners like before.

The tenure of the Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad-led Election Commission is ending this coming February.

The five-strong commission had also been constituted through a search panel.

The law minister has said the president will appoint the commissioners in line with the Constitution after the end of the current EC’s tenure.

The EC was formed for the first time through such panel in 2012. The President of the time, late Zillur Rahman, had sat with the political parties for their preferences.

Law Minister Huq said recently, “The election commissioners will be appointed this time through a process that was followed in 2012.”

Successive governments have been speaking about the need for a law to appoint election commissioners in past four decades.

Asked about the matter, Huq said, “The government is yet to consider passing a law in line with the Constitution. There is no such plan.”

The 2012 panel

An Appellate Division judge, selected by the chief justice, was made the chief of the search committee formed to recommend names.

The other members of the committee, formed on Jan 24 that year, were a High Court judge, the comptroller and auditor general, and the chairman of Public Service Commission.

Most of the political parties recommended formation of the search committee during dialogues with President Zillur Rahman.

The 23 parties that had joined the talks included the then ruling Awami League and opposition BNP.

Responding to a call from the president, the Awami League and several other parties submitted names of persons they wanted to see in the EC. The BNP did not suggest any name.

The committee, after screening, short-listed 10 persons.

The president picked five of them and formed the incumbent Election Commission.