For the first time in 30 years, the legacy political party Awami League is absent from the Bangladesh general election ballot. After nearly two years of political turmoil, Dhaka will vote on Thursday in a crucial poll that will shape the course of the nation.
The Awami League is one of the oldest political parties in Bangladesh, one of its co-founders being Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former president and prime minister and father of Sheikh Hasina. (AFP)Thursday’s election marks the first since the 2024 student-led movement toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government, prompting the former prime minister to flee to India. Follow live updates of Bangladesh elections here
The Awami League is one of the oldest political parties in Bangladesh, one of its co-founders being Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former president and prime minister and father of Sheikh Hasina.
After widespread unrest in Bangladesh following the ‘Gen-Z’ movement, Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League government came under heavy scrutiny for their violent crackdown on protesters.
Amid this scrutiny, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus banned all party activities for the Awami League on 12 May 2025.
Soon after, the Election Commission of Bangladesh suspended the party’s registration, banning it from operating in the country.
Although this is not the first time the Awami League is on the ballot, it is a first for the party that has ruled Bangladesh for more than two decades. What makes the 2026 election different is the absence of party bans.
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The Yunus government’s ban on Awami League’s registration will remain in place until the trial at the Bangladesh International Criminal Tribunal (BD-ICT) is over.
In November 2025, Hasina was tried in absentia and sentenced to death. He and two other Awami League government officials are accused of enforced disappearance, murder, burning people alive, illegal detention, inhumane torture, looting, arson and crimes against humanity.
As a result of this ruling, Awami League was prevented from contesting the elections.
