Chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal and all four election commissioners resigned on Thursday.
According to a press release from the Bangabhaban Press Wing issued in the afternoon, the president accepted resignations of the chief election commissioner and his four colleagues.
The resignation came a month after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 amid an unprecedented student-people uprising.
On the day, Hasina resigned and fled to India and later on August 6, the president dissolved the 12th parliament which was formed through the January 7 one-sided election conducted by the Awal-led commission.
On Thursday, at a press briefing Awal announced his and his four colleagues鈥� resignation.
The four commissioners are Ahsan Habib Khan, Rashida Sultana, Md Alamgir and Anisur Rahman.
The chief election commissioner said that they were resigning from their posts due to the ongoing changed situation in the country.
Election commissioners Rashida and Anisur were not present at the briefing.
鈥榃e have submitted our resignation letters to the EC secretary. He will hand these over to the president,鈥� he said.
While reading out a written statement, the chief election commissioner said that many blamed the commission although there was no constitutional basis to postpone or cancel the national election.
The constitution clearly mentions when and for how long an election can be postponed, he said, adding that in the past, no commission has resigned after cancelling an election, he said.
The chief election commissioner explained that holding an election is a very difficult task, and all the blames or responsibilities for an unacceptable election has always been placed solely on the Election Commission.
A commission, however, may lack honesty or can be biased, he said.
鈥楤ut not all commissions are always dishonest or biased. A commission may be unable to hold acceptable elections for various reasons,鈥� he continued, 鈥榠n the current system, we believe that a free, fair election鈥攆ree from black money, muscles flexing, and the influence of the administration and police鈥攃annot be ensured by merely restructuring the commission. Fundamental reforms will be needed in the electoral system. Changes will be required in political culture and behaviour, especially in the behaviour of candidates.鈥�
He also mentioned that the 2024 election was largely a one-party affair, meaning there was no need to rig or influence from the government. The election was held within the party, not between parties.
He admitted that the election had been controversial due to its lack of inclusiveness, saying that the criticism was valid and reasonable.
Based on his experience and knowledge, the election commission chief made some recommendations.
鈥楧ue to the homogeneity of its population, Bangladesh could be an ideal setting for a proportional representative [party-based] election. Additionally, it could be easier and more effective to organise the election in four to eight phases, with a break of 3鈥�5 days between each phase,鈥� he said.
鈥業t would be beneficial if we continued to optimise the use of technology, including the online nomination submission system that we had introduced, in the election process, he said.
Moreover, holding every general election under a non-party caretaker government could further ensure the achievement of the election objectives, he said.
People were seen demonstrating in front of the Nirbachan Bhaban since the morning.
They also threw shoes at the cars carrying the commissioners were leaving the Nirbachan Bhaban office.
