Reconciliation Or Retribution? Awami League Dilemma Before Tarique Rahman

A defining moment of Bangladesh's Prime Minister-elect Tarique Rahman's press conference on Saturday was his response regarding the future of Awami League supporters.

Toward the end of the session, a journalist asked, "Many people in Bangladesh remain supporters of the Awami League. What forms of reconciliation should there be for them?" Tarique Rahman gave a cryptic answer, but it said a lot. Known as a man of few words, Rahman replied,  "By ensuring the rule of law".

Since the July 2024 protests, many Awami League supporters have retreated from public life. Many face criminal charges simply for their association with the party, even if they played no role in the actions described by critics as dictatorial and draconian. However, the reality is that the Awami League still commands a significant vote share; in the party's absence from the ballot, its supporters largely pivoted to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The incoming BNP government now faces a delicate balancing act. It must address the public's lingering anger toward the Awami League without descending into the same pattern of indiscriminate political persecution that became common after Sheikh Hasina's ouster. The challenge will be to dismiss fabricated cases while ensuring that genuine perpetrators of violence do not go unpunished.

Early analysis of the 2026 election results reveals a clear transfer of votes from the Awami League to the BNP, despite the Awami League's call for a boycott. For those who wished to vote, the choice essentially boiled down to the BNP or the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The majority chose the former.

One major reason for this shift is national identity. Both the Awami League and the BNP recognise the historical significance of the 1971 Liberation War. In contrast, the Jamaat-e-Islami, which sided with Pakistan during the conflict, always had a pro-Pakistan position even after Pakistan had committed horrific atrocities on the Bangladeshi people. Jamaat is still viewed with scepticism by those who prioritise the secular and nationalist foundations of the state.

The BNP also made significant gains among Bangladesh's minority communities, who have historically leaned toward the Awami League. Tarique Rahman's promise of an inclusive "equal Bangladesh" resonated with these voters, who saw the BNP as a safer alternative to the Jamaat's conservatism. Additionally, Rahman also promised that the targeting and persecution of minorities would stop, which was a major issue leading up to the polls.

Women voters were equally pivotal. The Jamaat chief's recent comments questioning the role of women in leadership, combined with the party's goal of establishing Sharia law, pushed female voters toward the BNP. Even the Jamaat's ally, the National Citizen Party (NCP), faced internal dissent over its ties to the Islamist organisation.

Finally, a conspiracy theory regarding the ban on the Awami League likely helped the BNP's mandate. While many Bangladeshis viewed the 2024 protests as organic, the subsequent ban on the Awami League was seen by some as the work of an external "deep state." Fearing that any party could be similarly excised from the political system in the future, voters opted to give the BNP an unquestionable mandate to ensure stability.

Through strategic outreach in AL strongholds and a focus on "floating" voters. Nothing was left to chance, and every effort was made to ensure that swing voters and Awami League voters chose the BNP this time. The BNP ensured that it, rather than the Jamaat, became the natural choice for the Awami League voters.

For a nation weary of political vendettas, hopes are strong that 'the rule of law' becomes a bridge of reconciliation between the BNP and the Awami League's supporters.