'Well-Planned Farce': Sheikh Hasina Condemns Bangladesh National Polls, Urges Reinstatement of Awami League

Dhaka, Bangladesh: The 13th National Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh concluded on February 12, 2026, marking the country's first general vote since the student-led uprising that ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July 2024. The polls, held across 299 constituencies alongside a concurrent referendum on constitutional and institutional reforms, saw a voter turnout of approximately 48% by mid-afternoon, according to the Bangladesh Election Commission, significantly higher than the 42% recorded in the 2024 election boycotted by major opposition parties.

Interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus hailed the process as peaceful, orderly, and festive, describing it as "the beginning of an unprecedented journey toward a new Bangladesh."

In a post-polling statement, he praised voters' enthusiastic participation, the responsible conduct of political parties and candidates, and the professionalism of electoral institutions, urging all sides to maintain democratic decency, tolerance, and unity as results emerge.

The election featured a competitive field, with over 2,000 candidates from more than 50 parties, including a key contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, and an alliance spearheaded by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami alongside the National Citizen Party (NCP) and others formed in the wake of the 2024 uprising. Polling stations reported long queues in many areas, with voters, particularly younger ones, expressing hopes for reform and a break from past political turmoil.

However, the banned Awami League, Hasina's party, condemned the election as a "well-planned farce" orchestrated under Yunus's leadership. In a statement attributed to the exiled former prime minister, the party expressed gratitude to citizens, especially women and minority communities, for allegedly rejecting the polls through low participation or boycott. It accused the interim administration of illegally seizing power, cited early morning reports of irregularities such as polling center seizures, gunfire, vote-buying, ballot stamping, and agents pre-signing result sheets, and claimed voter turnout was negligible in many centers by February 12 morning.

The statement referenced an Election Commission figure of just 14.96% turnout by 11 a.m. local time as evidence of widespread rejection, while questioning suspicious voter list increases in areas like Dhaka.

Hasina demanded the immediate cancellation of what she termed a "voterless, illegal, and unconstitutional" election, Yunus's resignation, the release of political prisoners (including teachers, journalists, and intellectuals), withdrawal of alleged false cases, restoration of Awami League activities, and fresh polls under a neutral caretaker government to uphold democratic and constitutional norms.

The vote comes nearly two years after Hasina's ouster amid deadly protests, which ended the Awami League's long rule and led to its exclusion from the current process following a ban on its political activities and suspension of registration. Counting began immediately after polls closed at 4:30 p.m. local time, with initial trends and clearer results anticipated overnight and into Friday. The outcome is seen as crucial for stabilizing governance and advancing reforms in a nation still recovering from months of unrest that disrupted key sectors like garments manufacturing.

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