Awami League

The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achieving the independence of Bangladesh. It is one of the two dominant parties in the country, along with their traditional rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The party's activities were banned on 10 May 2025, under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

In 1949, the party was founded as the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League (after 1955, the East Pakistan Awami League) by Bengali nationalists, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Yar Mohammad Khan and Shamsul Huq, and joined later by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy who went on to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. It was established as the socialist Bengali alternative to the domination of the Muslim League in Pakistan and over centralisation of the government. The party quickly gained a massive popular support in East Bengal (later named East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) and eventually led the forces of Bengali nationalism in the struggle against West Pakistan's military and political establishment. The party under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led the struggle for independence, first through massive populist and civil disobedience movements, such as the Six point movement and Non-cooperation movement (1971), and then during the Bangladesh War of Independence.

After the emergence of independent Bangladesh, Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Mujib won the first general elections. The party along with other left-wing political parties of Bangladesh were merged into Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BaKSAL) in January 1975, where Awami League politicians played the leading role in BaKSAL. After the August 1975 coup, the party was made onto the political sidelines, and many of its senior leaders and activists were executed or jailed. In 1981, Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, became the president of the party and continued to hold the position to this date.

The party played a crucial role in the anti-authoritarian movements against the regime of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. After the restoration of democracy amidst mass uprising in 1990, the Awami League emerged as one of the principal players of Bangladeshi politics. The party formed governments winning the 1996, 2008, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections. Throughout its tenure as the ruling party from 2009 to 2024 under Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh experienced significant democratic backsliding and was consistently described as authoritarian, and dictatorial. It was finally overthrown with the Student–People's uprising in August 2024. Since then, the party remained underground. On 10 May 2025, the interim government banned all activities by the Awami League, in cyberspace and elsewhere, under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban will last until the International Crimes Tribunal completes the trial of the party and its leaders. On 12 May 2025, the Bangladesh Election Commission suspended the registration of the Awami League as a party.

Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, and Obaidul Quader, currently have been serving the president and the general secretary of the party, respectively. Sheikh Hasina, has headed the party since 1981. Amongst the leaders of the Awami League, five have become the President of Bangladesh, four have become the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and one became the Prime Minister of Pakistan.