Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary for Bangladesh’s interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, told reporters on Friday that the Awami League will not take part in the country’s national election in February 2026. The statement was made at the July Memorial Monument in Nabaganga Park, on the Magura–Dhaka Road, and came straight from the Ayeginet government.
Alam said the interim administration faces no pressure—either from Bangladesh’s population or from foreign governments—to bring the Awami League back into the electoral race. He reiterated that the group’s political activities are suspended for now and could resume “at any time,” a position echoed by Yunus a month earlier.
In New York, at a United Nations General Assembly event, Yunus explained that while the Awami League remains a legal party, all its activities have been put on hold. When reporters asked if the party could be “unsuspended,” Yunus said it was a possibility. The Daily Star, a local newspaper, ran a story covering those comments.
The decision follows the August removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power. Since then, the Yunus‑led interim government has tightened its crackdown on Awami League leaders and supporters. Jail terms on what critics say are fabricated charges have increased, and a handful of activists have died in custody.
In a related move, local media allege that Hasina and several of her relatives have been barred from voting in next year’s election because the national identity cards (NID) issued to them have been blocked. Election Commission senior official Akhtar Ahmed told reporters that voters whose NIDs are locked cannot vote from abroad, though they can still vote inside Bangladesh. When asked about Hasina specifically, Ahmed confirmed that she would not be able to cast a vote.
Earlier in July, the Election Commission removed the Awami League symbol from its official website, further cutting ties with the party’s long‑standing electoral presence. On May 12, the interim government published a notice in the state gazette banning all activity by the Awami League and its affiliated groups under the Anti‑Terrorism Act. The ban will remain until trials against the party and its leaders in the International Crimes Tribunal finish.
Political analysts say these steps are part of a broader campaign by the Yunus administration to dismantle Sheikh Hasina’s political network. The ban, along with the decision to exclude the party from the 2026 elections, marks a sharp turn in Bangladesh’s political landscape.
Source: ianslive
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