Habibul Awal new CEC

4 more commissioners also appointed

Staff Correspondent: For the first time, the Election Commission (EC) was formed according to law. Retired Senior Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal has been appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). A notification in this regard has been issued by the Cabinet Division on Saturday (February 26). The other four appointed Election Commissioners are: Retired District and Sessions Judge Begum Rashida Sultana, Retired Brigadier General Ahsan Habib Khan, Retired Senior Secretary Md. Alamgir and Anisur Rahman.
The President made the appointment in a notification issued by the Cabinet Division. The circular also states that the President made the appointment in accordance with the powers given in Article 118 (1) of the Constitution.
Kazi Habibul Awal has been the Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Undivided Law.
A six-member search committee headed by Justice Obaidul Hasan of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court was constituted under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment Act, 2022 and a notification was issued by the Cabinet on February 5. According to the law, the committee is given 15 working days to submit recommendations to the President. The Cabinet Division provides secretarial assistance to the Search Committee.
In addition to naming names from registered political parties and individuals, the search committee met with eminent persons to form a new election commission. The committee finalized the names of 10 people in its meeting last Tuesday (February 22).
The search committee conveyed to the President last Thursday (February 24) evening the list of names of 10 people and the recommendations raised in the meeting with eminent citizens to form the Election Commission through the appointment of CEC and four Election Commissioners.
The inquiry committee has held a total of 8 meetings to form a new EC. In addition, four meetings with the search committee were attended by professors, top media persons, former government officials, former military officers, leaders of professional organizations and other eminent persons.
Later, the names of 322 people who came to the search committee were listed. Then on the night of 14 February, the list of these names was published by the Cabinet Division. Even then, the committee took names from prominent people including political parties.
The members of the search committee were Justice SM Quddus Zaman of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, Auditor General and Controller Muslim Chowdhury, Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Sohrab Hossain, former Election Commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hossain and Professor of Literature Anwara Syed Haque.