Gaining public confidence is one of the major challenges for the new Election Commission, said former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday.

"Currently, the reputation of the EC is at a very low level," he said, adding, the commission must work neutrally to uplift its image and gain public confidence.

Huda was speaking at a roundtable titled "Challenges for the New Election Commission" organised by Shushashoner Jannoy Nagorik (Shujan) at the capital's Jatiya Press Club.

The former CEC suggested the new EC maintain a good relationship with all the stakeholders, mainly political parties. "The EC should not do anything unilaterally."

He opined for introducing a separate cadre service for election officials to strengthen the EC.

Former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain said holding the 2019 parliamentary election fairly is the top challenge for the new EC. He suggested updating some electoral laws for holding the next election fairly.

The commission also works for ensuring one-third representation of women in the political parties' leadership by 2021. Presenting a paper, Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said people lack confidence on the EC because of

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the "failures" of the previous commissioners.

"We hope the new election commission will hold the next parliamentary election fairly showing honesty, integrity, neutrality and boldness,” said the paper.

Majumdar also came up with a set of recommendations for the new EC including updating voter list and delimitation of electoral constituencies.

Shujan President M Hafizuddin Khan chaired the function, where former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder, Prof Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University and columnist Syed Abul Maksud, spoke.