Awami League will not be able to participate General Elections: Bangladesh Election Commissioner

• DHAKA — Bangladesh's Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman Masud on Monday stated that the Awami League will not be able to participate the General Elections.
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• The Muhammad Yunus-led administration had issued an official notification on May 12, banning the Awami League party and its affiliated bodies from conducting activities online and elsewhere.
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• According to the Election Commissioner, the acceptability of conducting election without the participation of Awami League cannot be stated.
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• Masud made the comment while addressing a workshop titled 'Review of Voters Lists for the upcoming General Elections' at the Regional Public Administration Training Centre (RPATC) in Rajshahi.
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• The Election Commission, it was detailed, is working to conduct elections in June 2026. Akhter Ahmad, Secretary in the Election Commission and officials from Rajshahi Election Commission, Law Enforcement officials were also present at the workshop.
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• The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday had expressed concerns that their December election deadline may quietly pass away as the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is showing no indication of launching preparations for the polls.
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• Some senior BNP leaders stated that nine months after the Yunus-led interim government came to power, there is still no talk about holding elections in the country. Additionally, many controversial moves, such as allowing human corridors to Rakhine and outsourcing port operations, have raised serious doubts about the government's true intentions.
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• The leaders further mentioned that the party rank and file is exerting pressure to take to the streets in order to put pressure on the interim government to announce a clear election roadmap and hold elections this year.
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• Local media reported that a BNP leader, wishing to remain anonymous, said the party fears that the ban on activities of the Awami League, increasing contradictions among the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat-e-Islami are leading to unnecessary street protests, which might further complicate the political scenario in the coming days.
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• Further, the BNP suspects that the recent ban on the activities of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party, Awami League, and the subsequent suspension of the party’s registration by the Election Commission are part of a larger conspiracy by local and international actors to prolong the power of the interim government.

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• “Every now and then, new issues are brought forward, reforms are dragged out, and the overall situation is kept in a state of flux. It appears to be part of a larger conspiracy to defer elections indefinitely,” a member of the BNP Standing Committee told UNB on condition of anonymity.
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• “Our youth rally will be held on May 28 with a massive showdown in Dhaka. From that rally, the BNP will send out a strong message to the government not to unnecessarily delay the election,” said another BNP leader.
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