Entire Election Commission resigns

The five-member Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, has officially resigned.

CEC Awal announced their collective resignation at a press conference on Thursday (September 5) afternoon.

Along with Awal, Election Commissioners Brigadier General (Retd.) Md. Ahsan Habib Khan, Begum Rashida Sultana, Md Alamgir, and Md Anisur Rahman also stepped down.

In the press conference, Awal explained, "If every general election is held under a non-partisan caretaker government, the achievement of the objective can be more assured. Finally, I would like to inform you that the Honorable Commissioners and I have decided to resign due to the current situation in the country. Today, we will hand over the resignation letters to the Secretary of the Commission to present to His Excellency the President."

After his statement, the CEC signed and handed over the resignation letter to Election Commission Secretary Shafiul Azim.

The Bangabhaban in a press release in the afternoon said President Mohammed Shahabuddin has accepted resignation letters of all the commissioners including the Chief Election Commissioner.

Although Election Commissioners Brigadier General (Retd.) Md. Ahsan Habib Khan and Md Alamgir were present at the press conference, Begum Rashida Sultana and Md Anisur Rahman were absent.

When asked about their absence, Awal declined to comment. He also did not take any questions from journalists during the press conference, responding to inquiries with, "No comment."

The commission, appointed on February 27, 2022, was initially set to serve a five-year term but resigned before completing their tenure, amid significant domestic and international scrutiny over the 10th, 11th, and 12th parliamentary elections held under the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina.