Dhaka, Dec 4 – The Awami League announced that Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s decision to suspend all party activities would effectively disenfranchise almost forty percent of voters in the forthcoming February 2026 election.
With that single decree, the party said the poll would no longer resemble a true national contest but would turn into a “carefully staged exercise” aimed at excluding genuine opposition.
“In suspending every function of the Awami League, Yunus carried out more than an administrative move; he imposed a political blackout unlike anything seen in Bangladesh before. One executive order silenced the country’s biggest party and muted the voices of nearly forty per cent of the electorate. No debate. No due process. No public mandate. Just raw, unchecked power,” the party declared.
According to the Awami League, this is no accident or misunderstanding but part of a clear pattern. It warned that with the dominant political force sidelined, hard‑liner Islamist groups such as Jamaat‑e‑Islami and Hefazat‑e‑Islam are filling the vacuum, gaining influence that had been absent for years.
“As Yunus pushes millions of voters out of the democratic process, he in turn draws on the very groups Bangladesh has long stood against. With no public backing, he turns to Jamaat‑e‑Islami, Hefazat‑e‑Islam, and other extremist circles as his new base. These once‑restricted groups are now afforded legitimacy, freedom, and protection in return for rallying support for Yunus,” the Awami League highlighted.
The party also noted a troubling rise in attacks on women’s rights, mounting pressure on minorities, and “moral policing” in public life.
“Gradually, Bangladesh is being steered toward a course that seems alarmingly familiar—a softer, quieter form of Talibanisation carried out not by street radicals but by top‑level state decisions,” the Awami League said.
By banning the Awami League from contesting, the party argued Yunus has turned the upcoming election into a manufactured ritual. With the country’s leading party excluded, the outcome appears effectively preordained, paving the way for an “Islamist‑influenced” regime based on a ballot that serves little meaningful purpose.
“This is the Taliban model in practice: elections held for appearance, power decided in advance,” the Awami League stated.
As extremist groups gain political foothold, the party warned that Bangladesh confronts increasing intolerance, shrinking freedoms, and an escalating threat to minorities. This instability, it said, risks spilling over borders, eroding regional security, and damaging the nation’s global reputation.
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