Rights Groups Warn Bangladesh Against Party Bans, Urge Return to Multi-Party Democracy

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has sought to play down former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s call to boycott the upcoming February 2026 national elections. However, a recent report suggests that the Awami League’s support base remains resilient despite the political turmoil.

According to a report by Deutsche Welle (DW), even during its worst electoral performance in 2001—when it secured only 62 out of 300 parliamentary seats—the Awami League still received over 22 million votes, just about a million fewer than the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which won 193 seats. This, analysts say, underscores the party’s enduring popular appeal.

In an analysis published by DW, senior journalist and political analyst Masood Kamal noted that a large section of Awami League supporters remain “ideologically and historically devoted” to the party despite widespread allegations against its leadership.

He further argued that “banning a political party with an executive order” cannot be considered “a sign of a civilized society,” adding, “The irony is that this government was meant to be one of unity. Instead, it has become a tool of division.”

The DW report also revealed that six international human rights organizations — including CIVICUS, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Fortify Rights, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) — have issued a joint letter to the interim government, urging it to lift the ban on the Awami League.

The rights groups warned that such restrictions could undermine democratic rights and political fairness, urging the administration to “refrain from political party bans that would disenfranchise a large portion of the electorate and obstruct a return to genuine multi-party democracy.”

The report added that the Awami League is not the only party under threat of exclusion. Since the fall of Hasina’s government, calls have intensified to ban the Jatiya Party, raising further concerns about a broader crackdown on political pluralism.

Although not officially banned, the Jatiya Party was excluded from the interim government’s year-long reform talks, DW reported. The National Citizen Party (NCP) — formed by some leaders of the 2024 uprising — has made banning the Jatiya Party one of its key demands.

Shamim Haider Patwary, Secretary General of the Jatiya Party, warned that such exclusionary politics could threaten Bangladesh’s democratic progress.

“Excluding the Jatiya Party from all discussions sends a clear message that our rights don’t need to be protected. This is going to be a rigged vote. The Jatiya Party is being treated as an ‘almost-banned’ entity. This is not a good sign,” Patwary told DW.