A day after several lawmakers of the United States called on the interim government of Bangladesh to hold “inclusive elections,” a spokesperson for the interim government in Dhaka said on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) that the Awami League, led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, remains banned and will not be allowed to participate in the February 2026 elections.

“Regarding the Awami League, our position is clear,” said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Wednesday (December 24) while addressing the press at the Foreign Service Academy, ruling out the party’s participation in the upcoming February 2026 election.

The comments from Mr. Alam has clarified the position of the interim administration regarding the Awami League’s participation in the polls. This will be the first time since 1971 that the party has been barred from contesting an election in Bangladesh’s history.

The interim government banned the Awami League’s political activities on May 11, 2025, and in October 2024, Chhatra League, the powerful student wing of the Awami League, was also banned. The party’s activities were further impacted by the death sentences handed down to Ms. Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal by the International Crimes Tribunal on November 17.

Subsequently, on several occasions, the interim government had maintained that “fugitives” would not be allowed to participate in the February 12, 2026, elections, but this is the first time that the interim government has explicitly outlined its policy on the Awami League in response to international figures.

Five U.S. lawmakers — House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Gregory Meeks; Chairman of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Representative Bill Huizenga; Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia Sydney Kamlager-Dove; and Member of Congress Julie Johnson — on Tuesday (December 23) sent a letter to Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus, expressing concern over the exclusion of the Awami League as Bangladesh moves into election mode. In response to the letter, Mr. Alam said that he had not seen it, stating, “I am not aware of the letter.”

Ms. Hasina had earlier said, in her written interviews with the Indian media, that supporters of the Awami League would not vote in the election if the party of their choice were barred from participating in the polling process.

A youth leader of a right-wing cultural group and a candidate at the February 12 general elections was on Friday (December 12, 2025) shot at by unidentified gunmen in Bangladesh capital.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus expressed deep concern over the shooting and serious injury of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Manch, and said the incident is “completely unacceptable.”

The Inquilab Mancha was on the forefront of a campaign to disband deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.

Police said three assailants on a motorbike shot Hadi as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area — from where he stood as an independent candidate — in the afternoon.

“Osman Hadi was shot at 2.25 p.m. in front of DR Tower on Box Culvert Road at Bijoynagar. We have initially learned that three assailants on a motorcycle shot him and fled the scene,” a spokesman of Dhaka police said.

Hadi was rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

“His (Hadi’s) condition is critical. He has been provided a life support system. The bullet remained inside his head,” Prothom Alo newspaper said, quoting DMCH director Brigadier Mohammad Asaduzzaman as saying.

Chief Adviser Yunus expressed deep concern over the shooting incident and asked the authorities concerned to bring the perpetrators under the law soon.

“Such a violent attack in an election environment is completely unacceptable and a deeply regrettable incident for the country’s peaceful political atmosphere,” Mr. Yunus said in a statement.

The Chief Adviser gave strict instructions to the law enforcement agencies to conduct a swift and comprehensive investigation to identify and bring all those involved in the attack to justice, the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said.

The Inquilab Mancha emerged as a rightwing cultural and pressure group in August 2024 after a student-led violent protest in July and August toppled the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.

The incident occurred a day after the election commission announced the polls schedule saying the 13th parliamentary election would be held on February 12.

The Inquilab Mancha was on the forefront of a campaign to disband Awami League. Yunus-led interim government disbanded Hasina’s party in May this year disqualifying it from contesting the polls.

The group spearheads a campaign to arrest “all terrorists” of the disbanded Awami League from central to grassroots levels and ensure security of the “July warriors”.