Selection committee headed by speaker to pick EC members, parties agree

A selection committee, chaired by the speaker of the National Parliament, and composed of the deputy speaker (from the opposition), the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, and a justice from the Appellate Division nominated by the Chief Justice will pick the Election Commission members.

This committee will begin the search for suitable candidates 90 days before the end of the outgoing commission's term. The qualifications, disqualifications, call for nominations, and the selection process will be determined by law passed in the Parliament.

Political parties have reached an agreement on these in the latest round of the National Consensus Commission talks, held at the Foreign Service Academy today.

This agreement marked a "historic turning point" in the ongoing dialogue among political parties and coalitions, said Vice-Chairman of the Consensus Commission, Professor Ali Riaz.

Speaking after the meeting, Professor Riaz stated that an agreement has been reached on reforms to the process of forming the Election Commission.

The 18th session of the second phase of discussions focused on appointments to several key constitutional and statutory bodies. These included the Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ombudsman.

Professor Riaz praised the political parties for showing flexibility and moving from their earlier rigid positions to reach this consensus, stating, "This agreement paves the way for establishing an independent and effective Election Commission. On behalf of the Commission, we sincerely thank all political parties for their responsible engagement."

A major point of consensus was the amendment of Article 118 of the Constitution to establish a defined selection committee for appointing election commissioners.

The selection committee will scrutinise the candidates' credentials transparently and submit one unanimous nomination for the Chief Election Commissioner and one for each Election Commissioner to the President, who will then appoint them for a five-year term.

The Parliament Secretariat, under the Speaker's direction, will provide institutional support to the commission.

While clauses 2, 4, 5(a), and 6 of the current Article 118 will remain unchanged, a new provision will be added to clause 5 to ensure the commission operates under a legal and ethical framework accountable to the National Parliament.

Riaz also expressed optimism that the National Charter could be finalised by the end of July.

"We will continue our efforts, and we hope to soon arrive at a comprehensive National Charter based on this broad political consensus," he said.