All Top 5 Election Commission Officials In Bangladesh Resigns

Dhaka: Amid political uncertainty in Dhaka, all top 5 election commission officials in Bangladesh including Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, resigned on Thursday. It's for the first time, the country's Election Commission has stepped down before the completion of its scheduled term. Awal was appointed as CEC for a five-year term in February 2022.

Army troops were guarding inside and at the election commission office premises as a large number of protestors rallied in front of the building at Agargaon area in the capital, chanting slogans against Awal and other commission members.

The commission came under outrage, particularly for conducting the January 7 general election boycotted by most parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which resulted in the re-election of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League for the fourth consecutive term.

Addressing reporters at a press conference in his office, Awal said in the 53-year history of Bangladesh, there is no instance that any election commission voluntarily resigned without completing its term.

The CEC and the other commissioners  Brig Gen Md Ahsan Habib Khan (Retd), Rashida Sultana, Md Alamgir and Md Anisur Rahman  resigned exactly one month after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5.

Despite being appointed for a five-year term according to the constitution, the Awal-led commission stepped down after just two-and-a-half years, after taking office on February 27, 2022.