Kazi Habibul Awal’s Tenure as CEC: Allegations, Controversy & Criticism. Kazi Habibul Awal took office as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Bangladesh in February 2022.
During his time, several elections were held under his leadership, but many were marked by serious irregularities, violence, and controversy—leading to heavy criticism.

🗳️ Election Irregularities & Violence

• Gaibandha-5 By-Election (2022):
  This election faced strong allegations of vote rigging. Eventually, the Election Commission cancelled the results.
• 12th National Election (2024):
  Voter turnout was low, and there were multiple incidents of violence across the country.
  Toward the end of the campaign, many candidates—including from the Jatiya Party—withdrew, citing fraud and unfair practices.
  Although the Commission claimed the election was free and fair, voting at 21 centers across 9 constituencies was suspended due to irregularities.
  Additionally, one ruling party candidate’s candidacy was cancelled.

🗳️ Political Party Registration & Commission Activities

• Party Registration Issues (2023):
  Ahead of the 2024 national election, many political parties applied for official registration.
  Despite fulfilling all requirements, four parties were reportedly denied registration, raising questions about the Commission’s fairness.
• Resignation of the Commission (September 2024):
  On September 5, 2024, Kazi Habibul Awal and his entire Election Commission announced their resignation.
  This came after the fall of the Awami League government on August 7, and the dissolution of parliament declared by President Md. Shahabuddin the following day.
  A caretaker government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus took over on August 8.
  With this transition, major reshuffling took place across the judiciary, civil service, and police departments.
  Many top officials, including the Chief Justice and heads of autonomous bodies, also resigned.
  The Election Commission’s resignation followed soon after.

⚖️ Criticism & Controversy

During Kazi Habibul Awal’s tenure, many questioned the transparency and neutrality of the election process.
Political parties and civil society leaders accused the Commission of bias, corruption, and failing to uphold democratic practices.
However, the CEC denied all allegations, saying,

“The Election Commission is not involved in any financial misconduct,”
and
“There have been no serious reports of irregularities or unethical behavior.”

🧾 Overall View

Kazi Habibul Awal’s time as Chief Election Commissioner is widely seen as one of the more controversial periods in Bangladesh’s electoral history