No foreign pressure to bring AL into polls: CA’s PS

Chief Adviser (CA)'s Press Secretary (PS) Shafiqul Alam has said no international influence is being applied to bring the Awami League (AL) back into the election, reports bdnews24.com.
Speaking on Friday at the Nabaganga River bank in Magura Sadar, he said the Election Commission has made it clear several times that the Awami League cannot take part in the polls.
Shafiqul added that neither domestic nor international actors are pushing to include the party in the election process.
He accused the party of killing hundreds of students and civilians during the July Uprising and showing no regret for the violence.
On electoral reforms, Shafiqul said a new provision would be added to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) allowing voters to reject unopposed candidates. In previous elections, many constituencies had only one candidate, leaving voters without a choice.
He said the reforms aim to prevent a repeat of January 5, 2014, when Awami League leaders, including HT Imam, won 154 seats uncontested, blocking voters from casting ballots.
"This provision is being introduced so that such one-sided elections never happen again, and people can cast their votes freely for their chosen candidates," he said.
The press aide said all political parties had reached an agreement under the July Charter to hold the national election in February.
He added that the polls, set for the first half of February 2026, would be 'the most peaceful, participatory, and free and fair in Bangladesh's history'.