Sheikh Hasina Says Awami League Keen To Fight Bangladesh Polls, Calls Ban 'Undemocratic': Report

Last Updated:November 07, 2025, 12:25 IST

Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has said that the Awami League is ready to contest upcoming elections if permitted, calling the party’s ban “deeply undemocratic.”

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. (PTI file photo)

Exactly fifteen months after taking refuge in an undisclosed location in India, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her party, the Awami League, is ready to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections if given the opportunity.

In an exclusive interview to The New Indian Express, Hasina also accepted “leadership responsibility" for the deaths of thousands during the violent anti-government protests that led to her ouster last year, while denying any personal role in ordering the use of force.

Calling the ban on her party “deeply undemocratic" and a “violation of Bangladesh’s constitution," Hasina said it deprived millions of voters of their fundamental rights.

“The decision to ban the Awami League is deeply undemocratic and a clear violation of Bangladesh’s constitution and of the fundamental rights of the electorate. It short-changes millions of people," she told The New Indian Express.

She noted that when major parties were kept out of elections in the past, “Bangladeshi voters have simply not voted, rather than transfer their vote to other parties."

Hasina insisted that her party is not refusing to participate in the electoral process.

“We are not refusing to contest elections. On the contrary, we ardently wish to participate. But we have been banned from doing so by an administration that is itself unelected and which clearly has no respect for democracy," she said, urging the need for a “free, fair and inclusive election" to help Bangladesh “heal and move towards reconciliation."

The former Prime Minister said the legitimacy of any government was undermined when political parties were either banned or chose to boycott polls.

“You cannot achieve this by banning the Awami League," she warned, adding that her party was “woven into the country’s modern history and independence" and continued to command the support of “tens of millions."

Asked about a Human Rights Watch report estimating that around 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during the anti-government protests between July 15 and August 5, 2024, Hasina said she “mourned each and every life lost."

She added, “As the country’s leader, I ultimately take leadership responsibility, but the implication that I ordered or directed the actions of the security forces on the ground is fundamentally incorrect."

She also disputed the UN’s fatality figure, saying it was “significantly higher" than official government estimates and “based on undocumented and closely controlled evidence" supplied by the interim administration. Hasina accused the current government of using “the UN’s back-of-the-envelope calculation for propaganda purposes."

Addressing long-standing concerns about election integrity, including criticism from the United States that the 2024 general elections were not free and fair, Hasina defended her record, saying the Awami League’s victories reflected the people’s mandate.

“The 2024 elections were deemed to be free and fair by independent international observers. The Awami League has come to power nine times through the direct votes of the people," she said.

Hasina pointed to several reforms introduced during her tenure, including photo-based voter lists, transparent ballot boxes, and an independent Election Commission, which she said were implemented “to guarantee the people’s right to vote freely."

However, she acknowledged that repeated election boycotts by opposition parties had weakened Bangladesh’s democratic process.

“Some of our past elections were not truly participatory because major political parties chose to boycott democratic processes and deny the electorate their fundamental right to vote," she said.

“It is this cycle of non-participation that must now be broken."

Responding to corruption allegations reported by the Financial Times and raised by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, including claims that $234 billion was moved abroad during her 15-year rule, Hasina dismissed them as “laughable" and “unevidenced."

“That sum far exceeds Bangladesh’s entire state budget," she said.

“In practical terms, such an enormous theft isn’t even possible. If it had happened, our economy would have collapsed. What actually happened was that our economy grew by more than 450 per cent over my 15 years in office."

She further alleged that Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who currently heads the interim government, had amassed unexplained wealth, claiming that he owned thousands of kathas of land and fixed deposits worth around 5,000 crore taka.

“Dr Yunus began his career at the Grameen Bank in 1990 with a salary of only 6,000 taka. How, then, did he amass such vast wealth?" she asked.

“The media needs to stop being naive and start scrutinising these matters, rather than giving Yunus a free pass just because he has got famous friends like the Clintons."

Hasina, however, declined to comment on questions regarding the alleged involvement of a “foreign hand" in her removal from power, saying she preferred to remain silent on that for now.

The former Prime Minister ruled Bangladesh for nearly 15 years before being ousted in August 2024 following weeks of violent protests.

Since her removal, an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge, banning the Awami League from participating in politics and launching corruption probes against Hasina and her family.

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Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

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