Bangladesh's interim government's key adviser Mahfuj Alam has said former PM Sheikh Hasina's Awami League will not be allowed to participate in the general elections.

“If Awami League returns to power, fascism will also return,” Alam was quoted as saying by United News of Bangladesh while addressing a rally in Hajiganj Bazar area of Chandpur town on Saturday.

He said pro-Bangladesh political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party and  Jamaat-e-Islami, will only participate in the polls.

“We no longer want the fascist regimes of Sheikh Mujib or Sheikh Hasina. We want pro-Bangladesh forces will rule the country,” the adviser said.

The Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers of the South Asian country, collapsed amid severe protests against the regime over a job quota row on August 5, 2024

The party has been virtually missing from the political scenario since then with most of the Awami League cabinet ministers now in jail facing murder and other criminal charges.

Others are on the run either within the country or abroad.

Bangladesh may vote this year

Last month, Bangladesh's interim government head Muhammad Yunus has said the national elections in the country -- which has been witnessing a political turmoil since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August -- may take place late next year or in the first half of 2026.

Also Read: Bangladesh likely to hold national polls in late 2025 or early 2026, says Yunus in Victory Day speech

Addressing Bangladesh on its Victory Day, Yunus was quoted as saying by The Daily Star: "Everything takes time. If we want to improve the election process and implement the necessary recommendations, the Election Commission should be given sufficient time to carry out these reforms."

The microfinance pioneer and Nobel laureate said: "And if, in view of the electoral process and the recommendations of the Electoral Reforms Commission and if we add in the expected level of reform based on the national consensus, it could take at least another six months, roughly between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026."