Sajeeb Wazed: Awami League will always be a factor, let the honeymoon period end

In separate interviews with BBC’s News Hour and ITV, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Awami League President and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, sharply criticised the election results and the political landscape in Bangladesh.

He highlighted the barring of the Awami League—the country’s largest party—and questioned the legitimacy of the vote, particularly the surprising performance of Jamaat-e-Islami and the complete wipeout of the Jatiya Party.

Unbelievable Wipeout For Jatiya Party

Sajeeb Wazed expressed disbelief at the Jatiya Party failing to win even a single seat despite its historical significance. “It’s unbelievable that the third largest political party got zero seats,” he said.

He pointed to systemic suppression: “The largest and oldest party has been banned from the election. Progressive parties, even if not banned, were not allowed to hold meetings or rallies. Many of their leaders are in prison.”

Jamaat’s Massive Gains Raise Serious Questions

He questioned Jamaat-e-Islami’s surge to nearly 80 seats (68 directly, plus coalition partners), far beyond their usual 5-10.

“Where Jamaat usually doesn’t win more than 5-10 seats, they got almost 80 seats, so this was not a competitive election,” he said.

Awami League Ready For Dialogue With All

When asked if he would engage with the BNP under Tarique Rahman, he emphasised openness.

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“We are ready to talk to everyone. Awami League and BNP are like the Tory and Labour parties in the UK—politics cannot be imagined without these two parties,” he said.

“Yes, everyone might be happy that an election has taken place. Let the honeymoon period end, then we’ll see. But in Bangladesh’s politics, Awami League will always be a factor. We have 40% votes, Jatiya Party has another 5 to 10%, so they cannot be ignored forever,” he added.

In an exclusive ITV interview with Mahatir Pasha, Sajeeb Wazed addressed Tarique Rahman’s impending premiership after the BNP’s landslide victory, the barring of the Awami League, inconsistencies in political accountability, the 2024 uprising, Sheikh Hasina’s exile and death sentence, and the Awami League’s future.

He indicated readiness for dialogue despite rejecting the election’s legitimacy.

“If he becomes prime minister—I mean, it is a sham election—but yes, if he becomes prime minister, then yes, of course, we will talk to him and deal with him,” he said.

On personal involvement, he said: “I have no interest in working in Bangladeshi politics whatsoever.”

However, he stressed openness to improving relations: “I am always open to it. I’m not a person who—I’m a person who always believes in having a conversation, no matter how difficult or with whom. That is my strategy. That has always been my strategy in life.”

He added: “The BNP is the other large party in Bangladesh. Of course, we should talk to them; I’ve always said that. The BNP should never have boycotted the elections.”

Election A Complete Sham

Joy dismissed the February 12 vote outright. “[Thursday’s] election was a complete sham,” he said.

“You’ve had the largest party and all progressive parties barred from elections. You’ve had, essentially, a stage-managed election.”

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He argued the ban invalidated the process: “How can you call an election where one of the two major political parties in the country are banned? … You cannot call that a free and fair election in any way.”

Calling it “unprecedented,” he said: “It’s unprecedented, where a political party has been banned by a dictator from an unelected regime.”

He warned: “This is not going to be sustainable. This is going to lead to more instability in the future.”

When compared to Jamaat’s ban during Awami League governance, Joy rejected parallels.

“No, because they were banned because of a court ruling,” he said. “They were banned from participating because of a court ruling from an independent group, not from the government.”

He explained: “The court ruled that Jamaat’s constitution, which recognises Shariah law above the Constitution of Bangladesh, conflicted with our Constitution. All Jamaat had to do was change their constitution and they could run again. There was no ban from the government on them.”

Addressing Past Election Allegations

On rigging claims in 2014, 2018, and 2024, Sajeeb Wazed said: “That’s not exactly true. The last three times, the first and the third time the opposition boycotted.”

For the 2018 elections, when all opposition parties participated, he said: “If you look at the opinion polls leading up to the elections, the Americans did polling, and all the polls showed that our party would have a landslide majority. It was going to be a landslide for the Awami League.”

He conceded: “Unfortunately, the administration—some people in the administration—still took it upon themselves to commit irregularities. Those should have been investigated, they weren’t, but overall it wouldn’t have affected the result.”

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On the 2014 elections, he said: “In the 2014 elections, there wasn’t a crackdown until our opposition started arson attacks on public transportation. Hundreds of people were burned alive in buses in arson attacks by the opposition because they chose to boycott the election. Awami League never banned anybody.”

Skeptical Of International Observers

Sajeeb Wazed dismissed observer assessments: “You cannot accept—I mean, again, you have a limited number of foreign observers in the country who are escorted by the regime. These foreign observers are not allowed to travel freely in the country, and frankly, it’s not even safe; the law and order situation is that bad. So, how much have these foreign observers really been allowed to observe?”

He added: “I will reserve my judgment until they make their statements.”

He compared: “If you’ve banned either the Democrats or the Republicans in the US, can you in any way call that election free and fair?”

Admitting Mistakes In Handling 2024 Protests

On the July–August 2024 uprising, he said: “Yes, without a doubt. The protest started peacefully. They had a legitimate demand.”

He blamed communication failures: “Our government completely failed to communicate this; they completely failed to sit down with the student protesters.”

But accused escalation: “The Islamists, the Jamaat-e-Islami and their militant wing saw this as an opportunity to overthrow the government. They started the violence, and then the protest turned violent, and again, our government mishandled it; it should have never gone that far.”

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Challenging UN Death Toll Figure

On the UN’s ~1,400 deaths estimate (July 15–August 15, 2024), Sajeeb Wazed said: “The UN number… covers the period from the 15th of July until the 15th of August. Our government fell on the 5th of August. Yet the UN report still blames the continued killings on our government. I mean, how is that possible?”

He noted: “Also included in that number are police officers. There were hundreds of police officers killed, and during the protests themselves, hundreds of our activists were killed. We take full responsibility for the several hundred that were killed. Not 1,400, because half of those were police and our party activists.”

“Every single death is regrettable. We never wanted anyone to die.”

On apology, he said: “My mother apologised to them immediately, during the protests, before our government fell. We met with them.”

He denied lethal force orders: “Lethal force was never authorised against protesters. My mother never ordered lethal force against anyone other than people attacking police, attacking other people. What else is a government supposed to do? It’s a government’s job to protect lives.”

On the leaked audio clips attributed to Sheikh Haisna, he said: “You should listen to the full recordings… what was broadcast internationally was a little snippet taken out of context. In the conversation, they’re talking about militants attacking police stations. That is where lethal force was authorised.”

Tulip Siddiq’s UK Resignation

On his cousin’s resignation, he said: “She resigned to avoid embarrassment to the British government. That is the only reason.”

He claimed clearance: “The UK watchdog investigated her, they cleared her of any wrongdoings.”

On fairness, he added: “No, of course not. It’s not fair. I don’t think it’s fair at all.”

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Dynastic Politics And Personal Ambitions

On family dominance in the party, Bangabandhu’s grandson said: “Is it dynastic politics because we choose to be in it, or is it because the grassroots keep voting for us in the party councils?”

Sajeeb Wazed, who was sentenced to five years in absentia, said: “I don’t live in Bangladesh. I have spent a total of seven years of my entire life in Bangladesh. I’ve been settled in the US for over 30 years.”

On return: “Oh, I will go back at some point.”

On his political ambitions, he said: “No, I’ve never had political ambitions. If I had wanted to be prime minister of Bangladesh, I could have been prime minister a while back. My mother had been pushing me to run for elections… for over a decade. I’ve never had a greed for power or money. I’m happy just to be comfortable.”

On the reform initiatives in Bangladesh, he said: “Reform is not a one-time process—reform is a continuous ongoing process. Over the last 10–15 years, we have had many younger leaders come up in the Awami League.”

Hasina’s Exile, Death Sentence, And Future Return

“I have no doubt she will return someday,” he said. But currently: “Right now, no. Not at all.”

He said: “Right now, she is in the safest place in the world that she can be. The Indian government is providing her full security, and India has due process; the trials in Bangladesh do not anywhere near meet that standard.”

On the ongoing trials, he said: “The trials against my family and my mother were completed in what, a month, month and a half?”

He predicted: “None of this is going to last, none of this is sustainable.”

On legacy, he said: “The one thing that is undeniable is that the 16 years of the Awami League’s government, you also had the best economic development in Bangladesh’s history, the most infrastructure development, the most stability, you had the best law and order situation, and you had a complete stop to all terrorist activity.

“I think within a very short time, people are going to say, well, despite all her shortcomings, the Awami League was the best government we had. My mother’s time is going to be remembered in history as the best economic and security and stable time in Bangladesh’s history. I can guarantee you that.”