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Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina revealed in an email interview with Reuters that she will continue to be in exile in India, insisting she will not return home for elections that exclude her party, the Awami League.
Hasina asserted that millions of her and Awami League’s supporters are expected to boycott the upcoming 2026 national polls after authorities barred the party from taking part. The 78 year old leader has lived in New Delhi since August 2024, when she fled after a student-led uprising ended her 15 year rule.
An interim administration headed by Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has governed Bangladesh since then and plans to hold elections in February 2026. The country’s Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May 2024, while the Yunus government imposed a ban on its political activity, citing threats to national security and ongoing war crimes probes against former senior officials.
Hasina said barring her party from elections would erode the credibility of the next government, arguing that the support of millions cannot simply be disregarded in a functioning democracy. The Awami League and its main rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have alternated in power for decades, with the BNP now expected to secure victory. Bangladesh has more than 126mn registered voters.
The former leader is currently facing trial at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity linked to a violent crackdown on student protests between July and August 2024 that, according to a United Nations report, left about 1,400 people dead. A verdict is scheduled for November 13, 2025.
The Yunus led interim government has also said that it will seek the death penalty under the law for Hasina’s actions while she was in power, especially her conduct during the student led protests where she allegedly authorised the use of excessive force by security agencies and law enforcement.
Hasina has rejected the case as politically driven and says she will only return once constitutional rule and genuine law and order are restored.
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