Alongside the Awami League, a wide range of political parties in Bangladesh have announced that they will boycott the upcoming general election, raising fresh questions about the credibility and inclusiveness of the polls scheduled for February 12.
None of the parties belonging to the pro-liberation 14-party alliance are taking part in the election, according to party leaders who spoke to The Voice. They cited what they described as political bias, selective persecution, and the absence of a level playing field under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
Leaders from the alliance—including the Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD–Inu faction), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, National Awami Party (Muzaffar faction), Ganotantri Party, Bangladesh Communist Party, Jatiya Party (Manju faction), and several smaller left-leaning and democratic groups—confirmed they would not participate in the election.
Workers Party, JSD formally withdraw
Two long-standing allies of the Awami League—the Workers Party of Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal–Jasod (JSD-Jasod)—issued separate press releases on Monday announcing their decision to stay away from both the general election and the referendum on the July charter.
Both parties said they had not submitted nomination papers for any constituency, alleging that the election would be conducted in a unilateral manner under the current political environment.
The parties were members of the Awami League-led governing alliance from 2008 until August 2024, when the elected government was removed following a mass uprising. They now argue that conditions under the interim administration do not allow for meaningful political participation.
According to party leaders, cases filed against their senior figures and activists in connection with the July uprising have not been withdrawn, despite repeated demands—effectively preventing them from campaigning or contesting.
“No leader or activist of our party has been able to participate freely,” said Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, in a statement issued in Dhaka. He described the election as “one-sided” and lacking the minimum conditions required for fairness.
Similarly, Hasanul Haque Inu, president of JSD-Jasod, said unresolved legal cases against party leaders had left the party with “no political space” to contest the polls. He also accused the Election Commission of failing to act independently.
As a result, no leader or activist from either party submitted nomination papers anywhere in the country.
Smaller parties also step back
The boycott has extended beyond the two left-leaning parties. Several senior leaders from different factions of the Jatiya Party and other smaller political groups refrained from submitting nomination papers, even after initially collecting the forms.
Those who did not file papers by Monday, the final day for nominations, include Anwar Hossain Manju, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, senior co-chairman Kazi Firoz Rashid, and Abdul Kader Siddique, party sources said.
They echoed allegations that the interim government and the Election Commission had failed to ensure a level playing field and that politically motivated cases filed after the July uprising remained unresolved.
In November, one Jatiya Party faction launched an alliance called the National Democratic Front, comprising 18 political parties, with the initial aim of contesting the election. That effort has since fractured.
Despite the broader boycott, two leaders from the Jatiya Party faction—Anisul Islam Mahmud and executive chairman Mujibul Haque Chunnu—submitted nomination papers on Sunday, highlighting divisions within smaller parties over whether to engage with the process.
Political backdrop
Bangladesh has been under an interim administration since August 8, 2024, after the Awami League government was removed from office on August 5 amid a mass uprising. The interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, pledged political reforms and a credible election.
The Awami League—Bangladesh’s largest political party and the party that led the country’s 1971 War of Independence—has been barred from contesting the election following the suspension of its political activities. The Jatiya Party, the country’s third-largest party and a former ruling party, has also alleged pressure and exclusion from the process.
The Election Commission, appointed after the political transition, did not invite parties from the former Awami League-led alliance to participate in its official dialogue process, according to party leaders.
“The Election Commission is biased. Still, we want to participate in the election for democratic continuity and for our historical pro-election stance,” said Shamim Haider Patwary, secretary general of the Jatiya Party, speaking to The Voice.
Critics say the filing of numerous cases against politicians and the perceived lack of neutrality in state institutions risk turning the election into a procedural exercise rather than a genuine democratic contest.
The interim authorities have repeatedly said the election and referendum will be free and fair and that legal cases will proceed under due process. However, the decision by multiple parties with long parliamentary histories to stay away has deepened concerns over voter choice, turnout, and the overall legitimacy of the February 12 polls.
As nomination deadlines pass and alliances fragment, Bangladesh’s electoral landscape appears increasingly polarized—developments that could shape not only the upcoming vote but also the country’s longer-term political stability.
