Interim Bangladesh government chief Muhammad Yunus fears internal and external forces may try to sabotage Bangladesh’s upcoming elections after Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting.
Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus has voiced concern over attempts by “powerful forces” at home and abroad to disrupt the country’s upcoming general elections, following the ban on the Awami League led by deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus flags ‘planned propaganda’ threats
“Many forces from inside and outside the country will work to spoil the election,” Yunus warned during a high-level meeting on poll preparedness. Yunus, 85, who took charge of the interim administration after a student-led protest toppled Hasina’s government in August last year, said the election would be “challenging” but must go ahead as planned.
The Awami League was barred from contesting after the Election Commission suspended its registration, citing national security concerns. Hasina and several senior leaders face trials in absentia in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal.
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Hasina vows to fight for democracy from exile
Meanwhile, Hasina, 78, gave her first interviews to foreign media since her ouster, reiterating that she remains committed to restoring democracy. Speaking to The Independent and other outlets from India, where she has been staying since August, Hasina said millions of Awami League supporters would boycott the election.
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“Only free, fair, and inclusive elections can heal the country,” she said, warning that any government formed without her party’s participation would lack legitimacy. “Millions of people support the Awami League, so as things stand, they will not vote. You cannot disenfranchise millions of people if you want a political system that works,” she said, as per PTI.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former premier Khaleda Zia is seen as the frontrunner in the Awami League’s absence. Meanwhile, multiple flash marches by Awami League loyalists continue in Dhaka, despite arrests and strict police surveillance.
