Dhaka: The search committee, formed by the President, will sit with five more eminent citizens in Bangladesh on Wednesday to elicit their opinions on formation of the new Election Commission (EC).

Cabinet Division secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said this while talking to reporters on Monday evening after the search committee’s meeting with 12 noted citizens of the country.

He said the five eminent citizens -- ex-Chief Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hena, Barrister Rokonuddin Mahmud, Daily Samakal editor Golam Sarwar, Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam and security expert Maj Gen (retd) Abdur Rashid—will be invited to join a meeting with the search committee at 11am on Wednesday at the Supreme Court Judges’ Lounge.

Earlier, the search committee held a two-hour meeting with 12 distinguished citizens at the same venue.

They are former High Court Division Judge Abdur Rashid, former Dhaka University vice-chancellors AK Azad Chowdhury and SMA Faiz, Prof Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, DU supernumerary Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former election commissioners Muhammed Sohul Hussain and Muhammad Sakhawat Hussain, lawyer and rights campaigner Sultana Kamal, local government expert Tofayel Ahmed, former inspector general of police Nurul Huda and Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder.

During their discussion, the noted citizens suggested forming the next EC with honest, competent, nonpartisan and neutral people.

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

The search committee held its first meeting on Saturday asking each of the 31 political parties which took part in talks with the President over formation of the next EC to propose five names by 11am on Tuesday.

The committee also requested 12 noted citizens to give their opinions on the EC formation at its next meeting today.

However, no party submitted any name to the search panel as of Monday afternoon.

The cabinet secretary said political parties will be bale to submit names until 3pm Tuesday. “Four more hours fore submitting the names has been extended. The political parties can submit names to the Cabinet Division by 3:00pm.”