Editorial pages of Britain’s leading newspapers sided with calls to lift the ban on the Awami League imposed by Bangladesh’s caretaker government, saying excluding the country’s most popular party risks undermining the credibility of upcoming elections.
The party is led by former disgraced prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Deshweek, a South Asian digital newspaper, first described the May ban as silly shortly after it was imposed, warning that barring the Awami League would disenfranchise millions of voters and hamper national reconciliation. In its May 8 edition, Deshweek argued that meaningful reform requires bringing all major parties back into the political process rather than sidelining them.
The caretaker administration under Muhammad Yunus banned the Awami League on national security grounds in early May, pending court challenges that could drag on for years. Officials have said the measure is temporary, but critics contend it effectively bars a significant portion of the electorate from choice at the ballot box.
Opinion polling cited by The Economist found that 14 percent of decided voters still name the Awami League as their first choice — a figure many analysts believe understates its true support, since some Bangladeshis remain reluctant to admit backing the former ruling party. Elections are tentatively scheduled for February 2026, with a fallback date no later than April, under a proposed “July Charter” that would set ground rules for campaigning and post-election reforms.
Human Rights Watch has accused the interim government of arbitrarily targeting Awami League supporters in a manner mirroring the previous administration’s crackdown on opponents. Legal scholars warn that protracted court battles over the ban could further destabilize the country’s fragile democratic transition.
Though the caretaker government has stabilized the economy — growth is projected at 3.9 percent for the year ending June, remittances have risen and inflation has eased from nearly 12 percent last July to about 9 percent in May — the political exclusion of the Awami League has drawn growing international concern. Observers say that if Bangladesh is to complete its turnover from the upheaval that ousted Hasina in August 2024, it must embrace an inclusive electoral contest, starting with lifting the ban on her party.