Bangladesh Awami League

Bangladesh Awami League বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ বাংলাদেশ গণসংঘ
Badge
Abbreviation	AL
President	Sheikh Hasina Wazed
General Secretary	Obaidul Quader
Founder	Hamid Khan Bhashani Yar Mohammad Khan Shamsul Huq
Founded	23 June 1949 (1949-06-23)
Split from	Muslim League
Preceded by	All Pakistan Awami Muslim League
Headquarters	Party office 23, Bangabandhu Avenue Dhaka 1000 Party president's office House 51/A, Rd No. 3A Dhanmondi R/A Dhaka 1209
Newspaper	Uttaran
Think tank	Centre for Research and Information
Student wing	Chhatra League
Youth wing	Jubo League
Women's wing	Mohila Awami League
Farmer wing	Krishak League
Trade union wing	Jatiya Sramik League
Volunteers wing	Swechasebak League
Ideology	Bengali nationalism Secularism Socialism[1]
Political position	Centre-left
National affiliation	Grand Alliance
International affiliation	None
Colors	Green
Slogan	"Joy Bangla" (Bengali) "Victory to Bengal"
Anthem	"Pralayollas" (Bengali) "The Ecstasy of Destruction"
Seats in the Jatiya Sangsad	276 / 350
Election symbol
Party flag
Website
albd.org
Politics of Bangladesh Political parties Elections

The Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) (Bengali transliteration: বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ; translated from Urdu: Bangladesh People's League); (often simply called as Awami League or AL) is one of the two major political parties of Bangladesh. It is the country's current governing party, after winning a majority in heavily criticized 2014 parliamentary elections where the majority of seats were uncontested.^[2]

The All Pakistan Awami Muslim League was founded in Dhaka, the capital of the Pakistani province of East Bengal, in 1949 by Bengali nationalists Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Shawkat Ali, Yar Mohammad Khan, Shamsul Huq, and later Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy who went on to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Pakistan Awami Muslim League was established as the Bengali alternative to the domination of the Muslim League in Pakistan and over centralisation of the government. The party quickly gained massive popular support in East Bengal, later named East Pakistan, 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, the founding father of Bangladesh, led the struggle for independence, first through massive populist and civil disobedience movements, such as the Six Point Movement and 1971 Non-Cooperation Movement, and then during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

After the emergence of independent Bangladesh, the Awami League won the first general elections in 1973 but was overthrown in 1975 after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The party was forced by subsequent military regimes onto the political sidelines and many of its senior leaders and activists were executed and jailed. After the restoration of democracy in 1990, the Awami League emerged as one of the principal players of Bangladeshi politics.

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. The incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has headed the party since 1981.

History

Founding and early Pakistan era (1949–66)

On 14 August 1947, the partition of India saw the establishment of the Muslim state of Pakistan on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory. The new country comprised two wings, separated by 1000 miles of Indian territory, in the Indian Subcontinent. The western wing consisted of the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, North West Frontier Province and Balochistan, while the province of East Bengal constituted the eastern wing. From the onset of independence, Pakistan was led by its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his Muslim League party.

In 1948, there was rising agitation in East Bengal against the omission of Bengali script from coins, stamps and government exams. Thousands of students, mainly from the University of Dhaka, protested in Dhaka and clashed with security forces. Prominent student leaders including Shamsul Huq, Khaleque Nawaz khan, Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Oli Ahad, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Abdul Wahed were arrested and the police were accused of excessive brutality while charging protesters. In March, senior Bengali political leaders were attacked whilst leading protests demanding that Bengali be declared an official language in Pakistan. The leaders included the A. K. Fazlul Huq, the former Prime Minister of undivided Bengal.^[3] Amidst the rising discontent in East Bengal, Jinnah visited Dhaka and announced that Urdu would be sole state language of Pakistan given its significance to Islamic nationalism in South Asia.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} The announcement caused uproar in East Bengal, where the native Bengali population resented Jinnah for his attempts to impose a language they hardly understood. The resentment was further fuelled by rising discrimination against Bengalis in government, industry, bureaucracy and the armed forces and the dominance of the Muslim League. The Bengalis argued that they constituted the ethnic majority of Pakistan's population and Urdu was remote to the land of Bengal, located in the eastern Indian Subcontinent.^[9] Moreover, the rich literary heritage of the Bengali language and the deep rooted secular culture of Bengali society led to a strong sense of linguistic and cultural nationalism amongst the people of East Bengal. The only significant language in Pakistan not written in the Persian-Arabic script was Bengali.^[10] Against this backdrop, Bengali nationalism began to take root within the Muslim League and the party's Bengali members began to rebel.

Rose Garden Palace, birthplace of the Awami League in 1949

On 23 June 1949, Bengali nationalists from East Bengal broke away from the Muslim League, Pakistan's dominant political party, and established the All Pakistan Awami Muslim League. The party was founded at the Rose Garden mansion in the old part of Dhaka. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Shamsul Huq were elected the first President and General Secretary of the party respectively, Ataur Rahman Khan was elected the Vice-President while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad and A. K. Rafiqul Hussain were elected the party's first Joint Secretaries.^[11] The party was formed to champion the rights of masses in Pakistan against the powerful feudal establishment led by the Muslim League. However, due to its strength stemming from the discriminated Bengali population of Pakistan's eastern wing, the party eventually became associated and identified with East Bengal.

Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marching barefoot to pay their tributes on Language Movement Day of 1953

In 1952, the Awami Muslim League and its student wing played an instrumental role in the Bengali Language Movement, during which Pakistani security forces fired upon thousands of protesting students demanding Bengali be declared an official language of Pakistan and famously killing a number of students including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar.^[12] The events of 1952 are widely seen by historians today as a turning point in the history of Pakistan and the Bengali people, as it was the starting point of the Bengali nationalist struggle that eventually culminated in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.^[11]

Awami League members in the cabinet of A. K. Fazlul Huq in East Bengal, 1954

In 1953, the party's council meeting voted to drop the word "Muslim" from its name to give it a more secular outlook, owing to need of including the province's large Hindu population in Pakistani politics. In the run-up to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections in 1954, the Awami League took the lead in negotiations in forming a pan-Bengali political alliance including the Krishak Praja Party, Nizam-e-Islam and Ganatantrik Dal. The alliance was termed the Jukta Front or United Front and formulated the Ekush Dafa, or 21-point Charter, to fight the Muslim League. The party also took the historic decision to adopt the traditional Bengali boat, which signified the attachment to rural Bengal, as its election symbol.^[11]

The election swept the United Front coalition into power in East Bengal with a massive mandate of 223 seats out of 237 seats. The Awami League itself won 143 seats while the Muslim League won only 9 seats. Veteran student leader and language movement stalwart Khaleque Nawaz Khan defeated incumbent prime minister of the then East Bengal Mr. Nurul Amin in a landslide margin. Mr. Nurul Amin was defeated in his home Nandail constituency. Khaleque Nawaz Khan created history at age 27 by defeating sitting prime minister and Muslim League was wiped out from political landscape of the then East Pakistan. A. K. Fazlul Huq assumed the office of Chief Minister of East Bengal and drew up a cabinet containing many of the prominent student activists that were leading movements against the Pakistani state.^[11] They included Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the Awami League, who served as commerce minister.

Leaders of the new provincial government demanded greater provincial autonomy for East Bengal and eventually succeeded in pressuring Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra, himself a Bengali, to endorse the proposed constitutional recognition of Bengali as an official language of Pakistan. The United Front also passed a landmark order for the establishment of the Bangla Academy in Dhaka.^[13] As tensions with the western wing grew due to the demands for greater provincial autonomy in East Bengal, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dismissed the United Front government on 29 May 1954 under Article 92/A of the provisional constitution of Pakistan.^[11]

In September 1956, the Awami League formed a coalition with the Republican Party to secure a majority in the new National Assembly of Pakistan and took over the central government. Awami League President Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Suhrawardy pursued a reform agenda to reduce the long-standing economic disparity between East and West Pakistan, greater representation of Bengalis in the Pakistani civil and armed services and he unsuccessfully attempted to alleviate the food shortage in the country.^[14]

The Awami League also began deepening relations with the United States. The government moved to join the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) and Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO), the two strategic defence alliances in Asia inspired by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Maulana Bhashani, one of the party's founders, condemned the decision of the Suhrawardy government and called a conference in February 1957 at Kagmari in East Bengal. He protested the move and the support lent by the Awami League leadership to the government. Bhashani broke away from the Awami League and then formed the leftist National Awami Party (NAP).^[11]

The controversy over One Unit (the division of Pakistan into only two provinces, east and west) and the appropriate electoral system for Pakistan, whether joint or separate, also revived as soon as Suhrawardy became Prime Minister. In West Pakistan, there was strong opposition to the joint electorate by the Muslim League and the religious parties. The Awami League however, strongly supported the joint electorate. These differences over One Unit and the appropriate electorate caused problems for the government.^[14]

By early 1957, the movement for the dismemberment of the One Unit had started. Suhrawardy was at the mercy of central bureaucracy fighting to save the One Unit. Many in the business elite in Karachi were lobbying against Suhrawardy's decision to distribute millions of dollars of American aid to East Pakistan and to set up a national shipping corporation. Supported by these lobbyists, President Iskander Mirza demanded the Prime Minister's resignation. Suhrawardy requested to seek a vote of confidence in the National Assembly, but this request was turned down. Suhrawardy resigned under threat of dismissal on 10 October 1957.^[14]

On 7 October 1958, President Iskander Mirza declared martial law and appointed army chief General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator. Ayub Khan eventually deposed Mirza in a bloodless coup.^[15] By promulgating the Political Parties Elected Bodies Disqualified Ordinance, Ayub banned all major political parties in Pakistan. Senior politicians, including the entire top leadership of the Awami League, were arrested and most were kept under detention till 1963.

In 1962, Ayub Khan drafted a new constitution, modelled on indirect election, through an electoral college, and termed it 'Basic Democracy'. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy joined Nurul Amin, Khwaja Nazimuddin, Maulvi Farid Ahmed and Hamidul Haq Chowdhury in forming National Democratic Front against Ayub Khan's military-backed rule and to restore elective democracy. However the alliance failed to obtain any concessions. Instead the electoral colleges appointed a new parliament and the President exercised executive authority.^[11]

Widespread discrimination prevailed in Pakistan against Bengalis during the regime of Ayub Khan. The University of Dhaka became a hotbed for student activism advocating greater rights for Bengalis and the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.^[16]

On 5 December 1963, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was found dead in his hotel room in Beirut, Lebanon. His sudden death under mysterious circumstances gave rise to speculation within the Awami League and the general population in East Pakistan that he had been poisoned.^[11]

Struggle for Independence and Mujib era (1966–75)

Rahman announcing the Six Points in Lahore, 1966

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Awami League members campaigning in East Pakistan before the 1970 general election

The 6-point demands, proposed by Mujib, were widely accepted by the East Pakistani populace, as they proposed greater autonomy for the provinces of Pakistan. After the so-called Agartala Conspiracy Case, and subsequent end of the Ayub Khan's regime in Pakistan, the Awami League and its leader Sheikh Mujib reached the peak of their popularity among the East Pakistani Bengali population. In the elections of 1970, the Awami League won 167 of 169 East Pakistan seats in the National Assembly but none of West Pakistan's 138 seats. It also won 288 of the 300 provincial assembly seats in East Pakistan.^[17][18] This win gave the Awami League a healthy majority in the 313-seat National Assembly and placed it in a position to establish a national government without a coalition partner. This was not acceptable to the political leaders of West Pakistan who feared the 6 points were a step towards breaking up the country and led directly to the events of the Bangladesh Liberation War. A particular point of disagreement was transferring 6 powers to one province which was unprecedented. The Awami League leaders, taking refuge in India, successfully led the war against the Pakistani Army throughout 1971. Leader Sheikh Mujib was arrested by the Pakistan army on 25 March 1971, but the Bangladeshi people continued the fight to free themselves for nine months.

After victory on 16 December 1971, the party formed the national government of Bangladesh.In 1972, under Sheikh Mujib, the party name was changed to "Awami League". The new government faced many challenges as they rebuilt the country and carried out mine clearing operations. The party had newspaper editors arrested and shut down the nations' newspapers leaving only four in operation.^[19] Food shortages were also a major concern of the Awami League. War had damaged all forms of farming. The party aligned itself with NAM, and leaned towards the Soviet bloc. The party was accused of corruption by supporters of Pakistan. In 1974 Bangladesh suffered a famine: 70,000 people died, and support for Mujib declined. Bangladesh continued exporting jute to Cuba, violating US economic sanctions, the Nixon government barred grain imports to Bangladesh. This exacerbated famine conditions.

In January 1975, facing violent leftist insurgents Mujib declared a state of emergency and later assumed the presidency, after the Awami League dominated parliament decided to switch from parliamentary to a presidential form of government. Sheikh Mujib renamed the League the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League, and banned all other parties. The consequences lead to a critical political state. BAKSAL was dissolved after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The move towards a secular form of government caused widespread dissatisfaction among many low ranking military personnel, most of whom received training from Pakistan army. On 15 August 1975 during the time of Major Ziaur Rahman as a Head of the Army Stuffs. some junior members of the armed forces in Dhaka, led by Major Faruk Rahman and Major Rashid, murdered Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all his family members, including his wife and minor son. Within months, on 3 November 1975, four more of its top leaders, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain Muhammad Mansur Ali and A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman were killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail as they were on behalf of BAKSAL. Only Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, two daughters of Mujib, survived the massacre as they were in West Germany as a part of a cultural exchange program. They later claimed political asylum in the United Kingdom. Sheikh Rehana, the younger sister, chose to remain in the UK permanently, while Sheikh Hasina moved to India and lived in self-imposed exile. Her stays abroad helped her gain important political friends in the West and in India that proved to be a valuable asset for the party in the future.

Struggle for democracy and Hasina era (1981–present)

Sheikh Hasina lead the Awami League Mass rally of Dhaka blockade, to demand an end to the rule of President Hussain Muhammad Ershad based on violations of democracy, 10 November 1987

After 1975, the party remained split into several rival factions and fared poorly in the 1979 parliamentary elections held under a military government. In 1981 Sheikh Hasina returned after the largest party faction, the Awami League elected her its president, and she proceeded to take over the party leadership and unite the factions. As she was under age at the time she could not take part in the 1981 presidential elections that followed the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman. Throughout the following nine years of military rule by General Hossain Mohammad Ershad the Awami League participated in some polls but boycotted most as Ershad did not believe in democracy.

The Awami League emerged as the largest opposition party in parliament in the elections in 1991, in which Khaleda Zia became the first female prime minister.

AL's second term in office had mixed achievements. Apart from sustaining economic stability during the Asian economic crisis, the government successfully settled Bangladesh's long standing dispute with India over sharing the water of the river Ganges (also known as Padma) in late 1996, and signed a peace treaty with tribal rebels in 1997. In 1998, Bangladesh faced one of the worst floods ever, and the government handled the crisis satisfactorily. It also had significant achievements in containing inflation, and peacefully neutralising a long-running leftist insurgency in south-western districts dating back to the first AL government's time. However, rampant corruption allegations against party office bearers and ministers as well as a deteriorating law and order situation troubled the government. Its pro poor policies achieved wide microeconomic development but that left the country's wealthy business class dissatisfied. The AL's last months in office were marred by sporadic bombing by alleged Islamist militants. Hasina herself escaped several attempts on her life, in one of which two anti-tank mines were planted under her helipad in Gopalganj district. In July 2001, the second AL government stepped down, becoming the first elected government in Bangladesh to serve a full term in office.

The party won only 62 out of 300 parliamentary seats in the elections held in October 2001, despite winning 40% of the votes, up from 36% in 1996 and 33% in 1991. The BNP and its allies won a two-thirds majority in parliament with 46% of the votes cast, with BNP alone winning 41%, up from 33% in 1996 and 30% in 1991.

In its second term in opposition since 1991, the party suffered the assassination of several key members. Popular young leader Ahsanullah Master, a member of parliament from Gazipur, was killed in 2004. This was followed by a grenade attack on Hasina during a public meeting on 21 August 2004, resulting in the death of 22 party supporters, including party women's secretary Ivy Rahman, though Hasina lived. Finally, the party's electoral secretary, ex finance minister, and veteran diplomat Shah M S Kibria, a member of parliament from Habiganj, was killed in a grenade attack in Sylhet later that year.

In June 2005, the Awami League won an important victory when the AL nominated incumbent mayor A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury won the important mayoral election in Chittagong, by a huge margin, against BNP nominee State Minister of Aviation Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin. This election was seen as a showdown between the Awami League and the BNP. However, the killing of party leaders continued. In December 2005, the AL supported Mayor of Sylhet narrowly escaped the third attempt on his life as a grenade thrown at him failed to explode.^[20]

In September 2006, several of the party's top leaders, including Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP and Asaduzzaman Nur MP, were hospitalised after being critically injured by police beatings while they demonstrated in support of electoral-law reforms. Starting in late October 2006, the Awami League led alliance carried out a series of nationwide demonstrations and blockades centring on the selection of the leader of the interim caretaker administration to oversee the 2007 elections. Although an election was scheduled to take place on 22 January 2007 that the Awami League decided to boycott, the country's military intervened on 11 January 2007 and installed an interim government composed of retired bureaucrats and military officers.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, the military backed government tried to root out corruption and remove Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia of the AL and BNP respectively.^[21] While these efforts largely failed, they succeeded in producing a credible voter list that was used in 29 December 2008 national election.

The Awami League won the national election held on 29 December 2008 as part of a larger electoral alliance that also included the Jatiya Party led by former military ruler General Hussain Muhammad Ershad as well as some leftist parties. According to the Official Results,^[22] Bangladesh Awami League won 230 out of 299 constituencies, and together with its allies, had a total of 262 parliamentary seats.^[23] The Awami League and its allies received 57% of the total votes cast. The AL alone got 48%, compared to 36% of the other major alliance led by the BNP which by itself got 33% of the votes. Sheikh Hasina, as party head, became the new Prime Minister. Her term of office began in January 2009.^[24] The current cabinet has several new faces, including three women in prominent positions: Dr Dipu Moni (Foreign Minister), Matia Chowdhury (Agriculture Minister) and Sahara Khatun (Home Minister). Younger MPs with a link to assassinated members of the 1972–1975 AL government are Syed Ashraful Islam, son of Syed Nazrul Islam, Sheikh Taposh, son of Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, and Sohel Taj, son of Tajuddin Ahmad.

Sayed Ashraful Islam, General Secretary of the Awami League, speaking at the 5th Bangladesh Agro Tech Fair in Dhaka on 28 May 2015

Since 2009, the Awami League government faced several major political challenges, including BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) mutiny,^[25] power crisis,^[26] unrest in garments industry^[27] and stock market fluctuations.^[28] Judicial achievements for the party included restoring original 1972 constitution, returning secularism to the constitution,^[29] beginning of war crimes trials,^[30] and guilty verdict in 1975 assassination trial.^[31] According to the Nielsen 2-year survey, 50% felt the country was moving in the right direction, and 36% gave the government a favourable rating.^[32]

In the 2014 election the Awami League led alliance won a second term.^[33]

In July 2016, a Buddhist leader of the political party was assassinated by ISIS.^[34]

Name and symbols

The first flag of the Awami League used during the Pakistani period

The All Pakistan Awami Muslim League (Urdu: آل پاکستان عوامی مسلم لیگ‎) or the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was formed as a breakaway faction of the "All Pakistan Muslim League" in 1949, within two years of the formation of Pakistan. The word Muslim was dropped in 1953 and it became the secular Awami League. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, most of the Awami League members joined the Provisional Government of Bangladesh and Mukti Bahini guerrillas to fight against the Pakistani army and the name "Bangladesh Awami League" was eventually settled upon.

The most common mascot and electoral symbol for the party has been the boat, which signified the attachment to rural Bengal. Traditionally the party had no consistent colour identity. After the 1991 election, the colour green became associated with Awami League, while blue has become the identifying colour for rival nationalist party.

The salutation "Joy Bangla" (Bengali: জয় বাংলা; meaning Victory to Bengal or "Long live Bengal") is the official slogan of the Awami League. It was the slogan and war cry of the Mukti Bahini that fought for the independence of Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The phrase "Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu" is used by the party members at the end of speeches and communications pertaining to or referring to patriotism towards Bangladesh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib.

The Awami League party flag is a green field with four five-rayed red star at its centre, and a vertical red stripe at the hoist side. The flag also bears some resemblance to the flag of Pakistan, showing the ex-Pakistani origin of the Awami League. The four stars on the Flag represent the four fundamental principles of the party: nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy.

Ideology

The National Emblem of Bangladesh; The four stars above the water lilly represent the four fundamental principles of Awami League that were enshrined in the first constitution of Bangladesh in 1972: nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy

The Bangladesh Awami League styles itself as the leader of the "pro-liberation" forces in Bangladesh, promoting secular and social democratic sections of the political establishment in the country. The party constitution states, and in two cases defines the reason for, four fundamental principles in guiding its philosophy and policies.^[35] They include:

• Democracy
• Socialism
• Secularism
• Nationalism

Before the 2008 general elections in Bangladesh, the Awami League announced in its manifesto, its "Vision 2021" and "Digital Bangladesh" action plans to transform Bangladesh into a fast-developing middle-income country by 2021.^[36] The party uses the term "Shonar Bangla", or golden Bengal, to describe its vision for Bangladesh to become a modern developed nation. The term is reminiscent of Bangladesh's national anthem and a utopian vision in Bengali nationalism.

Organization

Constitution

The Constitution of the Bangladesh Awami League (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ এর গঠনতন্ত্র, Bānlādēśa ā'ōẏāmī līgēra gaṭhanatantra) has 24 Articles and includes contents of General Program, Membership, Organization System, Central Organizations, Name, Aims and Objectives, Fundamental Principles, Commitments. In accordance with the changing situation and tasks, revisions were made in some of the articles at the National Conference.^[37]

National Conference

The National Conference NC (Bengali: জাতীয় সম্মেলন, Jātīẏa sam'mēlana) is the party's highest body, and, since the 1st National Conference in 1949, has been convened every three years (sometimes on an irregular basis). According to the party's constitution, the National Conference may be postponed on except "under extraordinary circumstances." The party constitution gives the NC following responsibilities:

• electing the President
• electing the general secretary
• examining the report of the outgoing Central Working Committee
• discussing and enacting party policies
• revising the party's constitution

In practice, the party councillors and delegates rarely discuss issues at length at the National Conference. Most substantive discussion takes place before the Conference, in the preparation period, among a group of top party leaders. In between National Conferences, the Central Working Committee is the highest decision-making institution.

Central Working Committee

Main office holders

Sheikh Hasina Wazed, President of AL since 16 February 1981

Obaidul Quader, General Secretary of AL since 23 October 2016

The Central Working Committee (Bengali: কেন্দ্রীয় কার্যনির্বাহী সংসদ, Kēndrīẏa kāryanirbāhī sansada) of the Awami League is a political body that comprises the top leaders of the Party. It is currently composed of 81 full members and 29 alternate members. Members are elected once every three years by the National Conference of the Bangladesh Awami League.^[38][39] The Central Working Committee is made up of the following:

• The Party Presidium:
  • The party President;
  • 17 Presidium members;
  • The general secretary;
  • 4 Joint general secretary;
  • The Treasurer;
• 28 Additional members;
• 29 Secretaries of the Sub Committee;

and

• 10 Parliamentary committee member

Advisory Council

Almost 38 Advisory Council (Bengali: উপদেষ্টা পরিষদ, Upadēṣṭā pariṣada) members working as party's think-tank and are not Part of the Central Working Committee.^[39]

Centre for Research and Information

The Centre for Research and Information CRI is the think-tank and research cell of the Awami League. The foundation offers political education, conducts scientific fact-finding research for political projects, grants scholarships to gifted individuals, researches the history of Awami League, and supports and encourages youth, international understanding, and development-policy co-operation.^[40][41]

Wings

• Bangladesh Chhatra League (Students League) (Students wing)
• Bangladesh Awami Jubo League (Youth League) (Youth wing)
• Bangladesh Mohila Awami League (Women wing)
• Bangladesh Krishak League (Farmers wing)
• Jatiy Sramik League (Trade union wing)
• Bangladesh Awami Swechasebak League (Volunteers wing)
• Awami Ainjibi Parishad (Lawyers wing)
• Bangladesh Tati League (Weavers wing)
• Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad-SWACHIP (Physicians wing)

Leader of the AL, 1949–present

^{[42][43][44][45]}

Head of state from AL

President of Bangladesh

Vice-President of Bangladesh

Head of government from AL

Prime Minister of Pakistan

Chief Minister of East Pakistan

Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Election results

Parliament of Pakistan

Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan

Election year	# of constituency votes	% of Percentage	Swing	# of overall seats won	+/–	Govt?	Note
1954	–	–		143 / 237		Yes
1970	12,937,162	73.2%		288 / 300	45	No	was blocked from governing by the West Pakistan

Parliament of Bangladesh

Election year	# of constituency votes	% of Percentage	Swing	# of overall seats won	+/–	Govt?
1973	13,798,717	73.2%	34%	293 / 300	133	Yes
1979	4,734,277	24.5%	48.75%	39 / 300	145	No
1986	7,462,157	26.2%	2.3%	76 / 300	37	No
1991	10,259,866	30.1%	3.9%	88 / 300	12	No
1996	15,882,792	37.4%	7.3%	146 / 300	58	Yes
2001	22,310,276	40.02%	2.62%	62 / 300	84	No
2008	33,887,451	49.0%	8.9%	230 / 300	168	Yes
2014	36,173,883	79.14%	30.14%	234 / 300	4	Yes

Criticism

On 7 May 1986, Awami League participated in the general election of Bangladesh staged by military ruler Lt Gen Hussain Muhammad Ershad even though the other major political party and the winner of previous election Bangladesh Nationalist Party boycotted. British observers including a journalists termed the elections a "tragedy for democracy" and a "cynically frustrated exercise".^[47]

On 06 May 2010, The High Court ordered the police administration of Pirojpur to rehabilitate to their houses within five days 13 Hindu families in Mathbaria upzila evicted allegedly by Awami League activists.^[48]

On 05 January 2014, Awami League held the controversial general election of Bangladesh.^[49] With 21 people dead, along with further human rights abuses and an absence of opposition, this is one of the most controversial general election in Bangladesh's history.^[50] This election was further tained by arbitrary arrests where dozens and perhaps hundreds of opposition leaders and members were taken into custody before the elections, which were boycotted by the main opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).^[51] On December 10, 2015, UK releases report on Bangladesh elections where they reported 'exposed high levels of shortcomings' in Bangladesh elections.^[52]

See also

• Politics of Bangladesh
• List of political parties in Bangladesh
  • Bangladesh Nationalist Party
• List of political parties in Pakistan
  • National Awami Party
  • Awami National Party

References

External links

• Awami League web site

Political parties in Bangladesh
Elections in Bangladesh Bangladesh Election Commission
Current coalitions	Grand Alliance 18 Party Alliance
Former coalitions	14 Party Alliance Four Party Alliance
Major parties	Bangladesh Awami League Bangladesh Nationalist Party Jatiya Party
Minor parties	Liberal Democratic Party (Bangladesh) Jatiya Party (Manju) Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist–Leninist) (Barua) Krishak Sramik Janata League Communist Party of Bangladesh National Awami Party Workers Party of Bangladesh Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD Bangladesh Jatiya Party – BJP Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Gano Forum Progressive Democratic Party (Bangladesh) Bangladesh Freedom Party Bangladesh National Awami Party Bangladesh Jatiya Party Islamic Front Bangladesh Islami Oikya Jote Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Islami Andolan Bangladesh Bangladesh Islamic Front Khelafat Majlish
Regional parties	Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti United People's Democratic Front
Defunct parties	Nagorik Shakti Bangladesh National Congress
Politics portal List of political parties Politics of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Awami League
Democracy Socialism Secularism Nationalism
Presidents	Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (1949–56) Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1956–57) Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish (1957–66) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1966–74) Muhammad Qamaruzzaman (1974–75) Syeda Zohra Tajuddin (Convenor) (1977–78) Abdul Malek Ukil (1978–81) Sheikh Hasina (1981– present)
General secretaries	Shamsul Huq Sheikh Mujibur Rahman] Tajuddin Ahmad Zillur Rahman Abdur Razzaq Abdur Razzaq Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury Zillur Rahman Abdul Jalil Sayed Ashraful Islam Obaidul Quader
Internal Organisations	Constitution National Conference Central Working Committee Advisory Council
Political wings	Awami Youth League (Youth wing) Students League (Students wing) Krishak League (Farmers wing) Jatiya Sramik League (Trade union wing) Awami Swechasebak League (Volunteers wing) Mohila Awami League (Women wing) Awami Ainjibi Porisad (Lawyers wing) Tati League (Weavers wing) Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad-SWACHIP (Physicians wing)
Related organisations	Centre for Research and Information Young Bangla
History	Two-nation theory All Pakistan Awami Muslim League Language Movement United Front (East Pakistan) Six point movement Agartala Conspiracy Case Pakistani general election, 1970 7th March Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Bangladesh Liberation War Independence Declaration Provisional Government Mujibnagar Mukti Bahini Joy Bangla Famine of 1974 BAKSAL Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Jail Killing Day Indemnity Act 1988 Chittagong massacre Caretaker government of Bangladesh 2004 Dhaka grenade attack 2006–08 Bangladeshi political crisis International Crimes Tribunal Vision 2021 Padma Bridge Graft Scandal Sheikh–Wazed family
Leaders	President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1971–1972) Abu Sayeed Chowdhury (1972–1973) Mohammad Mohammadullah (1974–1975) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1975 (Assassinated)) Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (1975 (Deposed)) Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem (1975–1977) Zillur Rahman (2009–2013 (Died in office)) Abdul Hamid (2013–Present) Vice President of Bangladesh Syed Nazrul Islam (1971–1972 (Acting President) Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tajuddin Ahmad (1971–1972) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1972–1975) Muhammad Mansur Ali (1975) Sheikh Hasina (1996–2001; 2009-Present) Prime Minister of Pakistan Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1956–1957) Chief Minister of East Pakistan Ataur Rahman Khan (1956–1958)

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Bangladesh Liberation War	East Pakistan Muslim Students' League Bangladesh Awami League Six point movement Agartala Conspiracy Case Pakistani general election, 1970 7th March Speech Declaration of Independence Provisional Government of Bangladesh Mujib Bahini
Sheikh Mujib Administration	1st cabinet 2nd cabinet 3rd cabinet 4th cabinet Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Family	Sheikh–Wazed family Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Sheikh Kamal Sheikh Jamal Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Rehana Sajeeb Wazed Saima Wazed Tulip Siddiq Sultana Kamal M. A. Wazed Miah
Family relatives	Abdur Rab Serniabat Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Sheikh Fazlul Karim Fazle Noor Taposh
Legacy	The Unfinished Memoirs The Black Coat Mujibnagar Namesakes
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