Former CEC Shamsul Huda passes away

Former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, who oversaw the 2008 national elections, passed away yesterday at his residence in Dhaka's Gulshan.

Huda, also a former bureaucrat, was 83.

He will be laid to rest at Banani cemetery after his daughter returns from the United States, said Huda's brother-in-law Ashfaque Qaderi.

His body is currently being kept at the mortuary of United Hospital.

Huda was known for bringing a number of electoral reforms, including preparing a voter roll with photographs, during his leadership at the Election Commission.

He assumed office as chief election commissioner on February 5, 2007 amid a volatile political situation.

Just a month before, on January 11, 2007, a state of emergency was declared due to growing political unrest and violence, eventually causing the indefinite suspension of the ninth parliamentary polls scheduled for January 22.

The state of emergency backed by the armed forces led to the formation of a caretaker government headed by Fakhruddin Ahmed.

When Huda took charge of the EC, it was mired in controversy due to actions by his predecessor Justice MA Aziz. The flawed voter list prepared during Aziz's tenure had only deepened the crisis.

With the army's help, the Huda commission prepared a largely error-free voter list with photographs -- considered one of the major achievements of the EC under his leadership.

He also oversaw the introduction of National Identity Cards as a by-product, said Abdul Alim, an election expert.

The Huda-led EC introduced party registration requirements, an electoral code of conduct for parties and candidates, and transparent ballot boxes. It also piloted the use of electronic voting machines, and held a successful election on December 30, 2008.

However, the commission drew flak when it initially invited the Saifur Rahman-led BNP faction for talks on electoral reforms. The matter was later resolved when it also invited the Khaleda Zia-led faction.

It was under this commission that the practice of consulting political parties, non-government organisations and eminent citizens began.

Under Huda's leadership, the commission implemented reforms in the EC Secretariat by having it removed from the direct supervision of the Prime Minister's Office.

The Shamsul Huda-led Election Commission, before completing its tenure, left behind several recommendations to strengthen the commission's authority. One of those included a draft law for appointing the chief election commissioner and other commissioners.

It had proposed that the CEC and commissioners be appointed through the parliamentary advisory committee headed by the Speaker of the House and including both the leaders of the House and the opposition.

It further suggested that a search committed be formed first to scrutinise the qualifications of potential candidates as per legal requirements and submit a panel of names, which the parliamentary committee would then finalise and issue appointments accordingly.

Eventually, the Awami League government passed a law outlining the appointment process. Currently, the responsibility lies with a search committee led by a justice of the Appellate Division, nominated by the chief justice, to recommend names for appointments.

Huda remained chief election commissioner till 2012.

Yesterday, the Election Commission expressed its condolences over his demise.

Born on July 10, 1943 in Faridpur, Huda completed his graduation and post-graduation in history from Dhaka University, earning top positions in both. He also held a doctorate in public administration and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University in the USA.

After a 34-year civil service career, he retired in 2000.

In the course of his career, Huda served as secretary at the water resources ministry from 1996 to 2000, and at the Banking Division from 1994 to 1996.

He is survived by his wife and daughter.