Ershad for change in voting system

The JP's other demands are establishing a separate EC secretariat, passage of the new law by the present parliament, and determining certain qualities and experience of the probable election commissioners. 
The potential commissioners should be politically inactive, impartial, honest, professionally qualified, physically and mentally fit, not hold any public office and have knowledge of electoral issues, added Ershad. 
About the reform to electoral system, he said every political party will secure seats in parliament according to the proportion of votes received by them. “The party with highest number of votes would win the highest number of seats.”
Every political party would prepare a list of its candidates, make it public and submit the list to the EC. Then they will go to polls in 300 constituencies with their respective electoral symbols, the former military ruler told journalists. 
“If a political party bagged 50 percent of the total votes cast, it would secure 150 seats. Similarly, if a party won 1 percent of the total votes cast, it would get three seats,” he added.  
Ershad said an independent candidate would be elected as a lawmaker if he polled one more than half of the total votes cast in a particular constituency. 
He pointed out that at least 13 countries, including Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Germany, follow the system of electing their representatives according to the proportion of votes polled. 
The tenure of the current EC will expire in February next year.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia recently presented proposals to form the next EC on the basis of “consensus” among all political parties.
The ruling Awami League, however, said BNP's proposals were “hollow and a mockery before the nation”.7

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