Awami League Registration Cancelled; Hasina Warns Boycott

Ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, exiled in India after a student-led uprising in August 2024, warned that millions of Awami League supporters will boycott the February 2026 national election after her party was barred from contesting. The Election Commission cancelled the Awami League’s registration and the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has suspended the party’s activities, citing national security concerns and ongoing war-crimes investigations. Hasina faces crimes-against-humanity charges over the crackdown that the UN estimates killed up to 1,400 people; she denies responsibility and has called the trials politically driven. Rights groups including Human Rights Watch condemned the ban as draconian, and analysts warn that excluding a major party risks disenfranchising voters and undermining electoral legitimacy. With more than 126 million registered voters and the Awami League sidelined, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is widely expected to lead the vote, raising concerns the election could deepen political divisions amid international scrutiny.