Bangladesh Braces for First Election Without Hasina as Awami League Supporters Grapple with Uncertainty

Bangladesh is gearing up for its first national election since the dramatic ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, with voting scheduled for February 12. In Gopalganj, a southern district long considered a fortress of Hasina’s Awami League (AL), the political landscape has shifted dramatically. The once-dominant party, which secured landslide victories here since 1991, has been banned, leaving millions of its supporters uncertain about their choices and future role in the country’s politics.

Residents express deep confusion and disillusionment. Tricycle driver Mohammad Shahjahan Fakir, 68, questions why the iconic ‘boat’ symbol won’t appear on ballots and says he will abstain from voting. Banana seller Mohammad Shafayet Biswas echoes the sentiment, admitting he doesn’t even know the candidates contesting from his constituency. Many feel the absence of AL has robbed them of a familiar political identity, with one anonymous woman lamenting, “Who should I vote for except Hasina? She is like a sister.”

Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—Bangladesh’s founding leader—was born in Gopalganj, where his statues and murals remain largely intact despite nationwide removals elsewhere. Yet the district has seen tensions, including clashes between police and AL supporters during past campaigns. Dhaka University professor Sazzad Siddiqui predicts potentially the lowest voter turnout here, attributing it to lingering denial about Hasina’s alleged wrongs and government efforts to “dehumanise” her supporters. Human Rights Watch has criticised the AL ban as draconian.

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The main contenders now hail from Hasina’s longtime rivals. BNP candidate S.M. Zilany, who previously faced her twice and claims politically motivated cases, is actively campaigning door-to-door, promising to stand by voters neglected under previous rule. Jamaat-e-Islami’s M.M. Rezaul Karim, emerging from years underground, emphasises coexistence, punishment for crimes, and openness to former AL loyalists seeking change.

With the Awami League outlawed and Hasina sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, many in Gopalganj and beyond remain in denial or disengaged. The election will test whether disillusioned supporters boycott the polls, shift allegiances, or find new political homes in a transformed Bangladesh.

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