Sheikh Hasina demands cancellation of 2026 election, calling it a ‘voterless farce’

Exiled former Prime Minister and Awami League chairperson Sheikh Hasina has rejected Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election as ‘illegal, unconstitutional, and a voterless farce’. She made the remarks in a statement posted on social media after the voting concluded on February 12, 2026.

In the statement, Sheikh Hasina claimed that the election was held by excluding the Awami League and without voter turnout. She demanded the cancellation of the so-called election and the resignation of the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

“The people of the country have rejected this farcical vote,” Sheikh Hasina said. “This election without voters is completely unconstitutional.”

This was the first general election in nearly three decades in Bangladesh’s history held without the party’s ‘Nauta’ symbol. The Awami League was unable to participate in this election as its registration was suspended. Hasina described it as a ‘dark chapter’ for democracy.

Sheikh Hasina claimed that most polling centers in Dhaka were empty and the voter turnout figures provided by the Election Commission are “unbelievable and questionable.”

She demanded the immediate lifting of the ban on the Awami League, the release of political prisoners, and a re-election under a neutral, non-partisan government.

This election was held under the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, nearly 18 months after the 2024 popular uprising, where the main competition was between the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. In the preliminary results, under the leadership of Tarique Rahman