Bangladesh EC blocks ousted PM Hasina from voting
Hasina faces trial in absentia at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, with prosecutors demanding capital punishment over her alleged involvement in atrocities committed during the violent July 2024 uprising.
Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced that it has “locked” the national identity (NID) cards of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, effectively barring her from casting her vote in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February next year.
While Ahmed did not go into further details, reports in Bangladeshi media outlets such as UNB news agency and the Dhaka Tribune cited unnamed EC officials to claim that Hasina’s close family members have also been targeted. According to these reports, the NIDs of her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul have similarly been “locked” or “blocked,” effectively stripping them of voting rights as well.
The move comes at a time of immense political upheaval in Bangladesh. Following months of unrest and the dramatic fall of Hasina’s Awami League government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as Chief Adviser of the interim administration. Almost immediately, he suspended all Awami League activities and initiated a sweeping crackdown on senior party leaders. Charges filed against Hasina and several of her top aides include crimes against humanity, corruption, and violent suppression of protests.
Hasina, who is now facing trial in absentia before Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, has been accused of atrocities committed during the July 2024 uprising. Prosecutors at the tribunal have demanded the death penalty, alleging her direct role in ordering violent crackdowns against demonstrators. The tribunal has so far proceeded swiftly, though human rights advocates outside Bangladesh have raised concerns about due process and fairness.
As the trial unfolds, the atmosphere in Dhaka remains tense. Many senior Awami League leaders have either gone underground or fled the country in fear of arrest. Their properties, once symbols of power, have turned into targets of anger. Mobs have torched and vandalised several properties belonging to the party elite. One of the most significant attacks took place at the 32 Dhanmondi residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding father and Hasina’s late father. Once revered as a historic site, the residence has been reduced to a symbol of the people’s fury against a party that critics say overstayed its mandate.
For Hasina’s supporters, these developments mark a painful fall from grace for a leader who dominated Bangladesh’s political landscape for over 15 years. To them, the locking of her NID card is not just a technical step but a deliberate attempt to erase her political voice and humiliate her legacy. Many of her loyalists argue that she is being scapegoated for the chaos of 2024, and they fear that the ongoing trial may be more about political vendetta than justice.
On the other hand, for many ordinary Bangladeshis who endured the violence, economic turmoil, and heavy-handed governance of the final months of Hasina’s rule, the developments are seen as long overdue. Crowds in Dhaka’s tea stalls and marketplaces frequently speak of “a new beginning,” with Yunus at the helm of an interim government that promises reform, transparency, and healing. Yet, skepticism lingers. Even as Yunus pledges accountability and democratic restoration, critics warn that Bangladesh’s history of political volatility could repeat itself if the interim authority consolidates power without timely elections.
The Election Commission’s decision to lock Hasina’s NID card adds yet another layer to the uncertainty. Symbolically, it sends a strong message that the interim government intends to distance the electoral process from the influence of the ousted ruling family. Practically, it eliminates any chance of Hasina participating—even symbolically—in the February elections.
As the country moves closer to election day, the question remains whether this process will mark a genuine democratic transition or merely another cycle of exclusionary politics. Bangladeshis are watching closely, caught between hope for a new political culture and fear of sliding back into authoritarian patterns.
For now, Hasina remains in the dock—albeit in absentia—her political future suspended by the decisions of courts and commissions. The once unchallenged leader of Bangladesh is no longer even allowed to cast a vote in her country’s most consequential election in decades. To many, this is not just a legal measure, but the clearest sign yet that Bangladesh has entered a new, uncertain chapter in its history.