A Deutsche Welle report reveals the Awami League’s enduring mass support in Bangladesh, despite political bans and interim government pressure. Analysts warn that silencing major parties like the Awami League and Jatiya Party threatens the country’s democratic future.
Despite the interim government’s attempts to minimize the influence of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League, new findings suggest that the party continues to command a powerful and loyal support base across Bangladesh. A recent report by Deutsche Welle (DW) highlights how, even in the face of political bans and growing restrictions, the Awami League remains one of the most deeply rooted political forces in the country.
The report, published on Saturday, revealed that in its weakest electoral performance — during the 2001 general election — the Awami League still secured over 22 million votes, only a million fewer than the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which won a sweeping victory with 193 of 300 seats. This statistic, the report notes, underscores the Awami League’s enduring mass appeal and its deep historical and ideological connections with voters.
Writing for DW, Masood Kamal, a senior journalist and political analyst, emphasized that a significant portion of the Awami League’s support base remains “ideologically and historically devoted” to the party. Kamal added that such loyalty stems not merely from party allegiance, but from the Awami League’s historic role in Bangladesh’s independence and its decades-long influence on the nation’s political landscape.
“Banning a political party with an executive order is not a sign of a civilized society,” Kamal wrote, cautioning that suppressing established political entities can lead to long-term instability.
Kamal also pointed out the contradiction within the current interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. He said that while the government initially positioned itself as a body of unity and reform, it has increasingly become a symbol of division, marginalizing the country’s largest political parties under the pretext of reform.
Human Rights Groups Call for Lifting Political Bans
The DW report further noted that six major international human rights organizations — including CIVICUS, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Fortify Rights, and Human Rights Watch (HRW) — have jointly appealed to the interim government to reconsider the political ban on the Awami League.
In a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, the rights groups warned that banning major political parties could undermine democratic rights and threaten political inclusivity in Bangladesh.
“We urge the interim government to refrain from political party bans that would undermine a return to genuine multi-party democracy and effectively disenfranchise a large part of the Bangladeshi electorate,” the letter stated.
These groups have expressed concern that excluding the Awami League from political participation could distort the upcoming February 2026 general elections, making them neither free nor fair.
Growing Concerns Over the Fate of the Jatiya Party
The report also highlighted that the Awami League is not the only party facing exclusion from Bangladesh’s political mainstream. The Jatiya Party, historically the third-largest political force in the country, has also come under growing pressure.
Though not formally banned, the Jatiya Party has been excluded from the interim government’s reform dialogues, sparking fears that the ruling administration is attempting to narrow the political space even further. The National Citizen Party (NCP) — a newly formed entity comprising leaders of the 2024 uprising — has openly called for the banning of the Jatiya Party, further complicating the nation’s political equation.
Shamim Haider Patwary, Secretary General of the Jatiya Party, expressed strong concern over what he described as a “selective democracy” taking shape under the current regime.
“Excluding the Jatiya Party from all discussions sends a clear message to the administration that this party’s rights do not need to be protected,” Patwary said in an interview with DW. “This is going to be a rigged vote. The Jatiya Party is being treated as an ‘almost-banned’ party. This is not a good sign.”
Democratic Future at Stake
Analysts warn that the continued exclusion of major political parties could erode public trust and hinder the country’s long-term democratic development. Bangladesh, which transitioned to democracy in the early 1990s after years of military rule, risks reverting to an era of political authoritarianism if the current trajectory continues.
While the interim government defends its actions as necessary to “reform” Bangladesh’s political system, critics argue that sidelining historic parties such as the Awami League and Jatiya Party threatens to disenfranchise millions of citizens and deepen social divisions.
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As the 2026 general elections approach, the question remains whether Bangladesh will restore its commitment to pluralism — or continue down a path where political exclusion becomes the new norm.
