Bangladesh CEC says Awami League may contest elections unless banned

Students from anti-discrimination movements and Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists attack an Awami League supporter in Dhaka, Bangladesh recently. File photo
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has said that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League may participate in elections unless the government or the judiciary issues a ban against the party.

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The chief election commissioner (CEC) said this during a meeting with election officials at the Chittagong Circuit House on Monday, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

Mr. Nasir Uddin also assured that the Election Commission runs with complete independence and faces no external pressure.

“We are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure a fair and transparent election,” he added.

The CEC also acknowledged the issue of fake voters in previous elections and attributed a decline in voter registration to mistrust in the voting process. He announced plans to initiate a voter list update soon to address these concerns.

“The voter list will be updated within the next six months. This time, elections will not follow previous patterns. Since August 5, there has been significant progress in fostering national consensus on electoral matters,” he added.

During the meeting, the CEC provided detailed guidelines on voter list updates and preparations for the upcoming national election.

A few days ago, former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party said that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ suggestion to set the minimum voting age at 17 would put pressure on the Election Commission and could delay the election process.

Mr. Yunus, 84, who was sworn-in to lead the interim government after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August, had suggested that the minimum voter age should be lowered to 17 years.

During his Victory Day speech on December 16, Yunus indicated that elections might be held by early 2026.

“Broadly speaking, the election can be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026,” he said.

Mr. Yunus said that the elections would be held after updating the voters’ list.