Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned that millions of her party’s supporters would boycott next year’s national election after the Awami League was banned from contesting. Speaking to Reuters from exile in New Delhi, Hasina, 78, said she would not return home under any government formed after an election that excludes her party. She fled Bangladesh in August 2024 following a deadly student-led uprising that toppled her 15-year rule.
An interim administration led by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has been in power since Hasina’s ouster and has pledged to hold elections in February 2026. The Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May, citing national security concerns and ongoing war crimes investigations against senior party figures.
Why It Matters:
Bangladesh, a country of 126 million registered voters, faces its most serious political crisis in decades. Hasina’s exclusion from the ballot raises questions about electoral legitimacy and democratic participation, especially given her party’s deep-rooted presence across the country. The Awami League’s boycott could weaken the credibility of the vote, potentially triggering unrest and deepening political polarisation.
Hasina, who oversaw rapid economic growth during her tenure but faced criticism for human rights abuses and repression of dissent, now faces charges of crimes against humanity before the country’s International Crimes Tribunal. The United Nations estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed in the 2024 protests that led to her downfall the worst violence in Bangladesh since its 1971 independence war.
The crisis centres around Hasina and the Awami League, now excluded from the political process; the interim government under Muhammad Yunus, seeking to restore order and legitimacy; and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main opposition expected to dominate the upcoming vote. The international community, including the UN and India, is closely monitoring developments amid concerns over governance, accountability, and regional stability.
What’s Next:
Hasina said she still hopes the Awami League will be allowed to contest, calling the ban “unjust and self-defeating.” A verdict in her war crimes trial is due on November 13, which could shape both her personal fate and the political landscape. Despite living freely in Delhi, Hasina said she would return home only under a “legitimate government” that restores constitutional rule.
For now, the interim authorities face the challenge of organising credible elections without the participation of one of Bangladesh’s largest political forces a test that could define the country’s democratic future.
With information from Reuters.
