Kazi Habibul Awal

Kazi Habibul Awal (born 21 January 1956) is a retired senior secretary and the former chief election commissioner of Bangladesh. He resigned as CEC on 5 September 2024.

Early life and education Habibul Awal was born on 21 January 1956 in Comilla District, East Pakistan, to a family from Sandwip Upazila. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from Dhaka University in 1976 and 1978 respectively.

Career Awal started his career as an assistant judge (munsif) in 1981 after passing the Bangladesh Civil Service exam. On 5 July 2007, Judge Aftab Uddin Ahmed filed a petition against the appointment of Habibul Awal as acting secretary. Later he became the secretary of the Ministry of Defense in 2014.

From February 2022 till the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government, Awal served as the chief election commissioner and oversaw the 12th parliamentary elections. In June 2025, he was detained by the Detective Branch following a case filed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Personal life Kazi Habibul Awal married Sahana Akhter Khanam. The couple have three daughters.