{"id":4326,"date":"2025-10-29T21:32:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4326"},"modified":"2025-10-29T21:34:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:34:38","slug":"interview-with-reuters-sheikh-hasina-champions-fair-inclusive-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4326","title":{"rendered":"Interview With Reuters: Sheikh Hasina champions fair, inclusive elections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a resounding affirmation of democratic principles and unshakeable resolve, Bangladesh\u2019s iconic former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a clarion call from her secure exile in New Delhi, demanding free, fair, and inclusive national elections with the full participation of her Awami League party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In exclusive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/asia-pacific\/bangladeshs-sheikh-hasina-warns-mass-voter-boycott-her-party-barred-election-2025-10-29\/?taid=690208d8e8ad9b00012ad6f1&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">emailed responses<\/a> to Reuters\u2014her first major media engagement since her forced ouster in August 2024\u2014Sheikh Hasina, 78, warned that barring the Awami League would trigger a mass boycott by millions of loyal supporters, rendering any February 2026 polls illegitimate and self-defeating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating,\u201d Sheikh Hasina declared with her trademark forthrightness. \u201cThe next government must have electoral legitimacy. Millions of people support the Awami League, so as things stand, they will not vote. You cannot disenfranchise millions of people if you want a political system that works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u098f\u0987 \u09a6\u09c1\u0983\u09b6\u09be\u09b8\u09a8\u09c7\u09b0 \u09b9\u09be\u09a4 \u09a5\u09c7\u0995\u09c7 \u09ac\u09be\u0982\u09b2\u09be\u09a6\u09c7\u09b6\u0995\u09c7 \u0987\u09a8\u09b6\u09be\u0986\u09b2\u09cd\u09b2\u09be\u09b9 \u09b0\u0995\u09cd\u09b7\u09be \u0995\u09b0\u09ac: \u09b6\u09c7\u0996 \u09b9\u09be\u09b8\u09bf\u09a8\u09be | Sheikh Hasina |\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ss-ytbnuuzw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With over 126 million registered voters in Bangladesh, the Awami League\u2014long a pillar of the nation\u2019s politics alongside the BNP\u2014represents the will of the masses. Hasina reiterated her hope that \u201ccommon sense will prevail and we will be allowed to contest the election ourselves,\u201d refusing to urge supporters to back rival parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This bold stance aligns seamlessly with her recent virtual meetings with dedicated Awami League workers, as extensively covered in The Daily Republic. In those impassioned addresses, Hasina rallied party members to stand firm against the unelected interim regime\u2019s oppression, emphasising that only elections inclusive of the Awami League can heal the nation and restore constitutional rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnly free, fair, and inclusive elections can heal the country,\u201d she echoed in her Reuters responses, vowing the party\u2019s eventual return to shape Bangladesh\u2019s future\u2014whether in government or opposition\u2014without it being defined by any single family, including her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4322\">Interview With The Independent: Sheikh Hasina stands tall, debunks propaganda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4315\">Sheikh Hasina vows to handcuff Yunus, tie rope around his waist<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4301\">Sheikh Hasina: I am fine and have no health issues<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sheikh Hasina\u2019s justified decision to remain in India stems from grave security threats under the Yunus-led interim government, which has devolved into a jihadist-backed mobocracy. Having fled on 5 August 2024 to safeguard her life and those around her amid targeted violence against Awami League workers, she stated unequivocally: \u201cI would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u09e7\u09ea \u09ae\u09be\u09b8\u09c7 \u09e7\u09ea \u09b8\u09ab\u09b0: \u0985\u09ac\u09c8\u09a7 \u0987\u0989\u09a8\u09c2\u09b8 \u09b8\u09b0\u0995\u09be\u09b0\u09c7\u09b0 \u0985\u09b0\u09cd\u099c\u09a8 \u09b6\u09c1\u09a8\u09cd\u09af\" width=\"1110\" height=\"833\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_9i-tdPYyqI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Living freely yet cautiously in Delhi\u2014where a Reuters reporter recently spotted her strolling peacefully in Lodhi Garden with security\u2014she draws from her family\u2019s tragic history: the 1975 military coup that assassinated her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and three brothers. \u201cI would of course love to go home, so long as the government there was legitimate, the constitution was being upheld, and law and order genuinely prevailed,\u201d she affirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dismantling the baseless allegations fueling the ban, Hasina labelled the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) proceedings as a \u201cpolitically motivated charade\u201d and \u201ckangaroo courts\u201d with \u201cguilty verdicts a foregone conclusion.\u201d Facing sham charges of crimes against humanity over the 2024 protests\u2014including inflated UN-cited death tolls of up to 1,400 and accusations of enforced disappearances\u2014she denied any personal involvement in lethal force or abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As she bravely asserted in her virtual party meetings and prior statements to The Independent, the violence arose from on-ground breakdowns in security discipline during a \u201cviolent insurrection,\u201d not her directives. Her government acted in good faith to minimise losses and even initiated an independent inquiry\u2014swiftly shut down by Yunus\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4307\">ICRF: OHCHR narrative is super biased, it blames Awami League for everything<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4296\">Sheikh Hasina: The visionary and courageous leader awaits a grand return<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=4278\">Experts submit dossier to ICC, ICJ on systematic judicial violations under Yunus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Yunus regime\u2019s actions\u2014suspending the Awami League\u2019s registration in May, banning all party activities under pretexts of \u201cnational security\u201d and war crimes probes, and excluding it from polls\u2014expose a vindictive agenda to sideline Hasina\u2019s legacy of economic transformation, poverty alleviation, and restoring parliamentary democracy after military rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, at 78, she remains a beacon of bravery, outspoken against propaganda and lies, refusing indemnity or apology for upholding constitutional duties against anarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bangladesh teeters under mobocracy, with recent clashes during state reform charter signings underscoring the chaos. Hasina\u2019s demand for the Awami League\u2019s participation is not just party advocacy\u2014it is a fight for the nation\u2019s soul. As she proclaimed in her worker meetings, true leaders rise above adversity. The people deserve her vision; anything less is a betrayal of democracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a resounding affirmation of democratic principles and unshakeable resolve, Bangladesh\u2019s iconic former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a clarion call from her secure exile in New Delhi, demanding&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,123,101,42],"tags":[77,913,50,65,56,63,64],"class_list":["post-4326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diplomacy","category-ict-bd","category-interview","category-politics","tag-awami-league","tag-election-commission-ec","tag-interim-government","tag-mobocracy","tag-muhammad-yunus","tag-sheikh-hasina","tag-yunus-gang"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4330,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4326\/revisions\/4330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}