Bangladesh blocks ousted Premier Hasina, family from next elections

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and nine of her family members cannot cast votes in the next election because their national identity cards (NIDs) are locked, an official said Wednesday.

There will be in-country and out-of-country voting in the next parliamentary election in February. Those who are abroad will register online and cast votes through a postal facility for the first time. A system is being developed to facilitate votes from abroad.

But Bangladeshis abroad cannot cast votes if their NIDs are locked, Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters at the agency’s headquarters in Dhaka.

The EC locked the NIDs for Hasina and her family members in a government order in April.

Ahmed said that to vote from abroad, one has to register online using a NID number. A passport is not sufficient, but a NID will be mandatory. “Only those who register with NID will get this opportunity,” he explained.

He said Hasina and her family members “will not be able to vote” in the next election.

Hasina has been in exile in India since her government was ousted in a popular uprising on Aug. 5, 2024. All of her family members are also staying in other countries, including in the US and the UK.

A UN report estimated 1,400 people were killed in the uprising. Hasina is facing several cases in Bangladesh, including mass killing charges linked to the killings.