A day after several lawmakers of the United States called on the interim government of Bangladesh to hold “inclusive elections,” a spokesperson for the interim government in Dhaka said on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) that the Awami League, led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, remains banned and will not be allowed to participate in the February 2026 elections.
“Regarding the Awami League, our position is clear,” said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Wednesday (December 24) while addressing the press at the Foreign Service Academy, ruling out the party’s participation in the upcoming February 2026 election.
The comments from Mr. Alam has clarified the position of the interim administration regarding the Awami League’s participation in the polls. This will be the first time since 1971 that the party has been barred from contesting an election in Bangladesh’s history.
U.S. lawmakers express concern over total ban of Bangladesh’s Awami League party
The interim government banned the Awami League’s political activities on May 11, 2025, and in October 2024, Chhatra League, the powerful student wing of the Awami League, was also banned. The party’s activities were further impacted by the death sentences handed down to Ms. Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal by the International Crimes Tribunal on November 17.
