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As Bangladesh prepares to hold its national elections nearly a year after Sheikh Hasina's government was ousted following a student-led uprising in July, the former prime minister has said that an election without her party would not be an election but a coronation, as the Awami League has been barred from contesting the upcoming polls.
"An election without the Awami League is not an election, but a coronation. Yunus governs without a single vote from the Bangladeshi people, and now he seeks to ban the party that has been elected nine times by popular mandate," Hasina said. "Historically, when Bangladeshis cannot vote for their preferred party, they do not vote at all. So millions will be effectively disenfranchised if this ban on the Awami League is maintained. Any government that emerges from such an exercise will lack the moral authority to govern. This would be a terrible missed opportunity at a time when Bangladesh badly needs a process of genuine national reconciliation," she added. Bangladesh is set to hold its elections in February 2026, with political tensions running high. As the polls draw closer, violence has intensified across the country, with reports of violent protests and attacks on Hindu minorities. As Bangladesh struggles to maintain normalcy after days of violent unrest last week following the death of Inqilab Moncho leader Osman Hadi, Hasina has placed the blame for the violence entirely on the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. Hasina said the killing of Osman Hadi reflected the growing lawlessness under the current administration. "This tragic killing reflects the lawlessness that uprooted my government and has multiplied under Yunus. Violence has become the norm while the interim government either denies it or is powerless to stop it. Such incidents destabilise Bangladesh internally but also our relationships with neighbours who are watching with justified alarm. India sees the chaos, the persecution of minorities, and the erosion of everything we built together. When you cannot maintain basic order within your borders, your credibility on the international stage collapses. This is the reality of Yunus' Bangladesh," she said. Meanwhile, the February 2026 polls will be the first national elections since the student-led uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Since then, Bangladesh has been governed by an interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Alongside the parliamentary elections, a national referendum on the "July Charter" will also be held on the same day. The proposed charter seeks major reforms to state institutions, including curbing executive powers and strengthening judicial independence. Voting will take place simultaneously for all 300 parliamentary seats. The main contest in the upcoming elections will be between former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. The newly formed National Citizens Party (NCP), which emerged from the student movement that led the uprising against Hasina, is also expected to take part in the elections. (ANI)
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