Dhaka: Amid political turmoil and a major shift in the country's political landscape, Bangladesh's interim government confirmed that the Awami League, led by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will not participate in the February 2026 national parliamentary elections due to a ban on its activities.

The Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, Shafikul Alam, announced that the Awami League, whose political activities are currently banned in the country, will not be able to participate in the upcoming national polls. During a press conference , following a meeting of the Advisory Council of the interim government, Alam, in response to a reporter's question about a letter reportedly sent to the Chief Adviser by US lawmakers expressing concern over the ban on the Awami League, made this remark.

He said that he had not seen the letter and was not aware of it. However, he emphasised that the government's position regarding the Awami League is clear. "Since the Awami League's activities are banned and the Election Commission has deregistered the party, the Awami League will not be able to take part in this election," the secretary said.

The party's registration has been suspended, and its leaders are on trial at the International Crimes Tribunal.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned home to a rousing welcome on Thursday after over 17 years in self-exile, a move that is expected to energise his party workers ahead of the February 12 parliamentary elections.

Rahman, the 60-year-old son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has emerged as a leading contender for prime ministership in the polls even as the country's Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been trying to throw a stiff competition to the BNP in the polls.

The homecoming of the BNP heir apparent comes amid a fresh wave of unrest and political instability gripping Bangladesh following the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was a prominent face in last year's mass protests that forced the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government. Rahman, accompanied by wife Zubaida and daughter Zaima, was received at the Hazrat Shahjalal International airport in Dhaka by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior party leaders amid tight security.

BNP emerged as the forerunner to capture power in the February polls as former prime minister Hasina's Awami League party has been barred from contesting the election.