Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned that the country’s next national election will lack legitimacy if her Awami League party remains barred from contesting. Speaking from exile in New Delhi, the 78-year-old leader described the ongoing political process under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus’s interim administration as “a denial of democratic choice.”
In interviews with Reuters, AFP, and The Independent, Hasina said excluding her party—the country’s largest political force for half a century—would amount to “mass disenfranchisement.”
“The ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating,” Hasina said, insisting she would not return to Bangladesh “under any government formed without the participation of my party.”
The Ban and Its Broader Consequences
Bangladesh’s Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May, following a blanket ban on the party’s political activities imposed by the usurper government of Muhammad Yunus.
Hasina contends that removing her party from the ballot undermines the very principle of representative rule. “The next government must have electoral legitimacy,” she told Reuters. “Millions of people support the Awami League, so as things stand, they will not vote. You cannot disenfranchise millions of people if you want a political system that works.”
Observers say the exclusion of the Awami League—together with reports of political detentions and restricted media access—has drawn quiet concern from international partners who had previously praised Bangladesh’s economic transformation under Hasina’s leadership.
From Economic Growth to Exile
During her 15 years in power, Hasina presided over rapid industrial growth, major infrastructure projects, and progress in women’s education and rural healthcare. Her government also faced criticism over human-rights issues and press freedom—allegations she and her supporters dismiss as politically weaponized narratives.
Now living quietly in Delhi, Hasina has been seen taking solitary walks in the capital’s Lodhi Garden, accompanied by two plainclothes security personnel. Her exile, she says, is “a matter of necessity,” citing threats to her safety.
“I would of course love to go home, so long as the government there was legitimate, the Constitution was being upheld, and law and order genuinely prevailed,” she said.
Legal Cases and Political Context
Hasina, who governed Bangladesh until her ouster in August 2024, now faces what she calls a “staged, one-sided” trial before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on charges related to the July–August 2024 student uprising.
The Yunus administration has acknowledged that at least 44 police officers were killed in the unrest, while Awami League sources claim the number was far higher—around 3,500—amid attacks on nearly 500 police stations nationwide. A verdict against Hasina is expected next month.
“The ICT is a sham court presided over by an unelected government consisting of my political opponents,” she told The Independent. “No democratically elected leader should be prosecuted for upholding constitutional duties to protect their country in the face of violent insurrection.”
She said the case relies on “compromised testimony and manipulated evidence,” stressing that operational decisions were made by security personnel on the ground. “As a leader, I ultimately take responsibility, but the claim that I ordered or wished for the security forces to open fire is simply wrong.”
Hasina also disputed reports that 1,400 people were killed during the protests, calling the figure “useful for propaganda purposes but probably inflated.” She said her government had launched an independent inquiry into the initial violence before the Yunus administration halted the investigation.
A Call for Restoration of Constitutional Rule
Hasina said her priority now is “the welfare and stability of Bangladesh,” as her political allies pursue legal and diplomatic means to ensure fair participation in the upcoming February 2026 election. “Only free, fair, and inclusive elections can heal the country,” she told AFP.
She emphasized that Bangladesh’s future should not be defined by any one person or family. “For Bangladesh to achieve the future we all want, there must be a return to constitutional rule and political stability. No single person or family defines our country’s future.”
Although she remains in exile, Hasina’s words continue to shape the political debate at home—underscoring how the credibility of the next election will depend on whether the Awami League is allowed to return to the democratic process.
