NEW DELHI: Former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party on Thursday rejected the interim government’s decision to hold a general election on February 12 on the grounds that the caretaker administration led by Muhammad Yunus cannot ensure “a fair and normal environment” for the holding of polls.
The interim government announced in Dhaka that parliamentary elections will be held on February 12, the first national vote since Hasina’s government collapsed in the face of student-led protests in August 2024 and she fled to India.
Nearly 128 million voters are eligible to take part in the vote, though the Awami won’t be able to participate as the party’s registration was suspended by the election commission following a ban on its activities by the interim government.
“It is now clear that the current occupying authority is entirely biased, and that under their control it is impossible to ensure a fair and normal environment where transparency, neutrality, and the people’s will can be reflected,” the Awami League said in a statement. The party also demanded Yunus’s resignation.
“The Awami League has the strength, courage and capacity to stand before the people…Attempting to hold an election while excluding the…Awami League – the party that led the Liberation War – along with other political parties and the majority of the population, is a scheme to push the country and the nation into a deep crisis,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}“The Awami League has the strength, courage and capacity to stand before the people…Attempting to hold an election while excluding the…Awami League – the party that led the Liberation War – along with other political parties and the majority of the population, is a scheme to push the country and the nation into a deep crisis,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}The Awami League demanded that all restrictions imposed on the party “must be lifted”, all “fabricated cases” against Hasina and other national leaders must be withdrawn, and all political prisoners must be released unconditionally. It also demanded that the interim government must be replaced with a “neutral caretaker government to hold a free and participatory election”.
The Awami League also announced a programme of protests this month and called for steps to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property. It said protests will be held across the country after Friday prayers on December 12, and a morning and evening lockdown will be organised nationwide on December 13.