The Election Commission (EC) is set to hold a meeting on Monday (May 12) to discuss the cancellation of the Awami League’s (AL) party registration, following the government`s recent move to ban the party’s activities.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin confirmed the development to media, stating that the commission will proceed once the official gazette notification of the government`s decision is issued.
“As soon as the gazette is published, we will convene a meeting of the commission. I cannot make the decision alone—there is a legal process in place. If the government bans a party’s activities, there are clear legal guidelines for how we must proceed,” said the CEC.
He added, “We have the authority to cancel a party’s registration. It is the government’s jurisdiction to ban a party’s activities. Therefore, we do not require any further instructions from the government once the gazette is available.”
The government’s decision came on Saturday (May 10), following two days of protests by the National Citizens` Committee. In response, the government held an emergency meeting of the Advisory Council, where it was decided to ban all political activities of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act, including its presence in cyberspace.
According to the statement issued after the meeting, an amendment to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Act was approved, enabling the tribunal to take punitive action against political parties, affiliated organizations, or their supporters.
The advisory council further stated that the move to ban the Awami League’s activities was aimed at ensuring national security, sovereignty, and the protection of July Movement activists, as well as plaintiffs and witnesses involved in ongoing tribunal cases against the party and its leaders.
