Latest news with #BangladeshElectionCommission
India.com
4 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Muhammad Yunus forced to announce Bangladesh elections after protests; polls will be held in..., Sheikh Hasina will...
Bangladesh elections will be held in April 2026, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced Friday. (File) Bangladesh Elections: In a major development in Bangladesh post the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August last year, the country's interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus Friday announced that the national election will be held in the first half of April 2026. Yunus announces Bangladesh elections in April 2026 In a televised address to the nation, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said the a detailed roadmap will be provided by the Bangladesh Election Commission in due course, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. 'There is immense public and political interest regarding the timing of the election. As I've said before, it will be held between December and June. The government is working to ensure an environment conducive to a credible election within this timeframe.' Yunus said. The announcement comes amid recent protests by the former premier Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) demanding elections by December this year. 'Our goal is to prevent future crises. That requires institutional reform. Without ensuring good governance in the institutions directly linked to the electoral process, all the sacrifices made by students and citizens will be in vain,' the 84-year-old said, while reiterating that the interim administration was formed with three mandates: reform, justice, and election. 'We believe that by the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, we will reach a broadly acceptable position on reforms and justice — particularly in addressing crimes against humanity, as part of our collective duty to the martyrs of the July uprising,' the Nobel laureate said. Earlier, on May 28, the BNP organized a massive rally as tens of thousands of youths staged protests demanding the Yunus-led interim government to hold national elections by December this year. 'The national election must be held by December. Preparations must begin immediately,' BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman said as he joined the rally through a virtual platform from London. Sheikh Hasina, Awami League unlikely to participate in polls Meanwhile, deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party, that formerly ruled Bangladesh, is unlikely to be allowed to participate in the April 2026 national elections as the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government last month ordered the disbanding of the party until the trials of its leaders were completed. On August 5 2024, the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime was ousted from power after mass student protests led by the Students against Discrimination (SAD). Three days later, an Interim Government came to power in Dhaka with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus at his helm as Chief Advisor. On June 1 this month, the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh (ICT-BD) indicted Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, on a host of serious charges, including mass murder, for allegedly violating human rights during the brutal crackdown on student-led protest that ultimately led to her ouster in August last year. The proceedings were broadcasted live on Bangladesh's state-run BTV– a first in the country's history. (With inputs from agencies)
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bangladesh Election Commission suspends registration of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina's Awami League
In a setback to ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country's election commission has suspended the registration of her party Awami League, effectively barring the party from contesting the next general election. The move by the Bangladesh Election Commission comes after the country's interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, banned all activities of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Among the reasons presented by the interim government to ban the activities of Awami League, national security threats and an ongoing war crimes investigation against the party's top leadership over deaths of hundreds of protesters have been the primary ones. Bangladesh's Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed in a late night press briefing on Monday said 'With the home ministry's ban on all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, the Election Commission has decided to suspend the party's registration,' Reuters reported. According to Bangladesh's election laws, a party needs to be registered with the election commission in order to contest the polls in the country. The suspension of Awami League, which has ruled in Dhaka for over two decades, is now officially disqualified and ineligible to contest any future elections in the country, until the ban is revoked and the party registration is restored by the election commission. In a directive issued by the Election Commission, the Awami League and its affiliates have been asked to prohibit from conducting any political activities, including publications, media appearances, online and social media campaigns, processions, rallies, or conferences till the International Crimes Tribunal completes the proceedings. Sheikh Hasina, who won a historic fourth term in 2024 elections, faced deadly protests and mass uprising which forced her to flee the country in August 2024 to India and an interim government took over the administration of the country led by Muhammad Yunus. The 2024 Bangladesh elections were boycotted by the main opposition whose top leaders were in jail or in exile.
United News of India
21-04-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Bangladesh 'locks' National ID card of former PM Sheikh Hasina, nine family members
Dhaka, Apr 21 (UNI) Escalating its attacks against Sheikh Hasina and her family, the Bangladesh Election Commission's National Identity Registration Wing has blocked the National Identity cards of the former Prime Minister and nine of her family members. The NIDs of the 10 listed individuals were locked through an official letter on April 16, signed by ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the National Identity Registration Wing at the EC, The Daily Star reported. The other individuals whose NID's have been locked include - Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed (Sheikh Hasina's son and Awami League leader), Saima Wazed (her daughter), Rehana Siddiq (Sheikh Rehana, Hasina's younger sister), Tulip Rizwana Siddiq (Hasina's niece and UK MP; daughter of Rehana), Azmina Siddiq (Tulip's sister and Hasina's niece), Shaheen Siddiq (aunt of Tulip), Bushra Siddiq (Shaheen's UK-based daughter), Radwan Mujib Siddiq (Tulip's brother), and Tarique Ahmed Siddiq (was Hasina's security affairs advisor and is husband of Shaheen Siddiq). Bangladesh Election Commission officials said that locking an NID means its information can no longer be verified, corrected, or changed. A locked NID is effectively unusable. However, it is still not clear whether there was a direct order from the Election Commission Secretariat. In Bangladesh, the NID is a crucial document used for various essential services such as banking, voting, legal processes, utilities, telecommunication services etc. Therefore, "locking" an NID has significant implications, essentially completely disenfranchising a citizen from all government services. UNI ANV RN
