Interim Authorities Bars Awami League from Taking part in Bangladesh Elections

A day after a number of lawmakers of america referred to as on the interim authorities of Bangladesh to carry “inclusive elections,” a spokesperson for the interim authorities in Dhaka stated on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) that the Awami League, led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, stays banned and won’t be allowed to take part within the February 2026 elections.

“Relating to the Awami League, our place is obvious,” stated Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Wednesday (December 24) whereas addressing the press on the International Service Academy, ruling out the occasion’s participation within the upcoming February 2026 election.

The feedback from Mr. Alam has clarified the place of the interim administration concerning the Awami League’s participation within the polls. This would be the first time since 1971 that the occasion has been barred from contesting an election in Bangladesh’s historical past.

The interim authorities banned the Awami League’s political actions on Might 11, 2025, and in October 2024, Chhatra League, the highly effective scholar wing of the Awami League, was additionally banned. The occasion’s actions had been additional impacted by the dying sentences handed all the way down to Ms. Hasina and former Residence Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal by the Worldwide Crimes Tribunal on November 17.

Subsequently, on a number of events, the interim authorities had maintained that “fugitives” wouldn’t be allowed to take part within the February 12, 2026, elections, however that is the primary time that the interim authorities has explicitly outlined its coverage on the Awami League in response to worldwide figures.

5 U.S. lawmakers — Home International Affairs Committee Consultant Gregory Meeks; Chairman of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Consultant Invoice Huizenga; Rating Member of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Sydney Kamlager-Dove; and Member of Congress Julie Johnson — on Tuesday (December 23) despatched a letter to Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus, expressing concern over the exclusion of the Awami League as Bangladesh strikes into election mode. In response to the letter, Mr. Alam stated that he had not seen it, stating, “I’m not conscious of the letter.”

Ms. Hasina had earlier stated, in her written interviews with the Indian media, that supporters of the Awami League wouldn’t vote within the election if the occasion of their alternative had been barred from taking part within the polling course of.