Awami League
Leader	Sheikh Hasina
Founded	June 23, 1949
Headquarters	Bongobondhu Avenue, Dhaka
Political ideology	Secularism
International affiliation	None
Website	Awami League

The Bangladesh Awami League (বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ Bangladesh Aoami Lig) or the Bangladesh People's League is the main opposition party in Bangladesh and the political catalyst for Bengali discontent and rebellion in 1971. The party is now headed by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Awami League has been in government for two terms, eight years and a half, in the 19 democratic years among 35 years of Bangladesh's independence. In the 2001 general election it got 40% of the vote and 62 of 300 seats, making it the second-largest party in the parliament behind the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Awami League symbol File links The following pages link to this file: Bangladesh Awami League ... Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Bangla: শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ) (born September 28, 1947) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Secularity is the state of being free from religious or spiritual qualities. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... Combatants Mukti Bahini India Pakistan Commanders • General M A G Osmani • General Jagjit Singh Aurora General A. A. K. Niazi Strength India: 500,000+ Mukti Bahini: 100,000[1] Pakistan Army: 365,000 Paramilitary: 280,000 [1] Casualties India: 1,426 KIA 3,611 Wounded (Official) Mukti Bahini: NA* ~8... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Bangla: শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ) (born September 28, 1947) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( 1920 - August 15, 1975), born in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, was a Bengali nationalist leader in East Pakistan and first Prime Minister and President of independent Bangladesh. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dôl, BNP) is currently a ruling political party in Bangladesh along with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh. ...

Pre-Independence History

1949 - 1966

The Awami League was founded on June 23, 1949 as the "All Pakistan Awami Muslim League", as a breakaway faction of the "All Pakistan Muslim League". It was then led by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy [1]. The word "Muslim" was dropped in 1955. There was some initial confusion when the party was created, because two parties of the same name were created in Pakistan one in the East Wing, one in the West Wing. One was created by Maulana Abdul Hameed Khan Bhashani. One of its three initial assistant general secretaries was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The other was created in the Northwest Frontier Province in West Pakistan by Peer Manki Shareef. In February 1950, both were merged, creating the "All Pakistan Awami Muslim League" with Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy as its leader. In 1954 along with its allies the Awami League won the national election; Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy became the fifth Prime Minister of Pakistan. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became a cabinet minister. On 26 July 1957 Maulana Abdul Hameed Khan defected, creating the 'National Awami Party'. As the years went by, the Awami League became associated with the often oppressed Bangla-speaking majority in East Pakistan. Mujibur Rahman was elected party president in 1966, and the AL gained much popularity through the famous 6 point movement. June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Aga Khan III, one of the founders of the Muslim League Navin had a boner and put it in his mouth The All India Muslim League (Urdu: مسلم لیگ) was a political party in British India and was the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state from British... Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (September 8, 1892 - December 5, 1963) was a politician from Bengal in undivided India, and later in East Pakistan, who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 until 1957. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Maulana Bhashani was a popular political leader in East Pakistan and Bangladesh. ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( 1920 - August 15, 1975), born in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, was a Bengali nationalist leader in East Pakistan and first Prime Minister and President of independent Bangladesh. ... North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is geographically the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... Independent (as part of Pakistan) from British Empire - August 14, 1947 Separated from East Pakistan as Pakistan - March 26, 1971 Capital Karachi Language Urdu, English West Pakistan consisted of the western part of Pakistan from 1947 until 1971, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh and West Pakistan became the present-day... Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (September 8, 1892 - December 5, 1963) was a politician from Bengal in undivided India, and later in East Pakistan, who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 until 1957. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (September 8, 1892 - December 5, 1963) was a politician from Bengal in undivided India, and later in East Pakistan, who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 until 1957. ... The Prime Minister of Pakistan (Wazir-e- Azam in Urdu)is the Head of Government of Pakistan. ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( 1920 - August 15, 1975), born in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, was a Bengali nationalist leader in East Pakistan and first Prime Minister and President of independent Bangladesh. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Bengali language. ... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( 1920 - August 15, 1975), born in Gopalganj, Bangladesh, was a Bengali nationalist leader in East Pakistan and first Prime Minister and President of independent Bangladesh. ...

1966 - 1971

The 6-point demands, proposed by Mujib, were widely accepted by the East Pakistani populace as it proposed greater autonomy for the provinces of Pakistan. After the so called Agartala Conspiracy Case and subsequent fall of the Ayub Khan regime in Pakistan, Awami League and their leader Sheikh Mujib reached the peak of their popularity among the East Pakistani Bengali population. In the elections of 1970 Awami League won 160 of 162 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 the East Pakistan.[2][3]. 160 being a healthy majority in the 313-seat Assembly, the Awami League was in a position to make a government without any coalition partner. This led directly to the events of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The AL leaders, exiled in India, successfully led the war against the Pakistani Army throughout 1971. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Independent (as part of Pakistan) from British Empire - August 14, 1947 Separated from East Pakistan as Pakistan - March 26, 1971 Capital Karachi Language Urdu, English West Pakistan consisted of the western part of Pakistan from 1947 until 1971, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh and West Pakistan became the present-day... Combatants Mukti Bahini India Pakistan Commanders • General M A G Osmani • General Jagjit Singh Aurora General A. A. K. Niazi Strength India: 500,000+ Mukti Bahini: 100,000[1] Pakistan Army: 365,000 Paramilitary: 280,000 [1] Casualties India: 1,426 KIA 3,611 Wounded (Official) Mukti Bahini: NA* ~8...

Post Independence History

1972 - 1975

It came to power after independence in 1972 under Mujib, and the party name was changed into (dropping "All Pakistan") "Awami League". However, the party was disturbed by internal corruption and failed to some extent to repair the nation's wounds from the independence war. As Bangladesh continued exporting jute to Egypt violating US economic sanction, the Nixon government barred food-grain supplies from reaching the country that Bangladesh had already paid for. As a result, the famine of 1974 was inevitable. 28,000 people died, and support for Mujib declined dramatically. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Bangladesh

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Bangladesh now in commons, unfortunatley with the same name: http://commons. ... Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ...

Constitution President Iajuddin Ahmed Prime Minister Khaleda Zia Parliament Political parties Elections Parliament: 2001 - 2007 Divisions Human Rights Foreign relations

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In January 1975, Mujib declared a state of emergency and later assumed the presidency after the Awami League-dominated parliament made the presidency an executive post. He renamed the League the Bangladesh Workers and Peasants Awami League (Bangladesh Krishok Sramik Awami League, BAKSAL), and banned all other parties. BAKSAL became the strong arm of what had turned into a dictatorship. Many of opposition political workers, mostly revolutionary communist elements, were jailed after three MP's were killed by the communist insurgency. The crackdown on opposition was aided by the elit paramilitary force Rakkhi Bahini. This page lists Presidents of Bangladesh. ... Prof. ... The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is, in practice, the most powerful political position in Bangladesh. ... Khaleda Zia - Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia (Bangla: খালেদা জিয়া) (born August 15, 1945) is the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. ... Jatiyo Sangshad (Bangla: জাতীয় সংসদ) or National Assembly is the national parliament of Bangladesh. ... This article lists political parties in Bangladesh. ... See election for a more comprehensive discussion and the List of democracy and elections-related topics for an overview on related topics. ... The seventh parliamentary elections of Bangladeshs Jatiyo Sangshad was held on 1 October 2001. ... Categories: | | | | | | ... The South Asian country of Bangladesh consists of 6 divisions (bibhag), each named after its respective capital. ... 2005 was a terrible year for national security in Bangladesh. ... Bangladesh pursues a moderate foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy, especially at the United Nations. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ...

1975 - 1996

These negative developments led to a widespread dissatisfaction among the people and even inside the Army. In 15 August 1975 some junior members of the armed forces in Dhaka, led by Major Faruk Rahman, and Major Rashid killed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all his family members who lived with him. Within two months' time four 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 on November 3, 1975. Only two daughters of Mujib, who were in West Germany as a part of a cultural exchange program, survived the massacre. They later took political assylam in UK. The elder daughter, Sheikh Hasina, later moved to India and lived in self-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 future. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Ḍhākā), population 12,560,000[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. ... Saiyid Nazrul Islam (1925 – 1975) was a Bangladeshi political figure. ... Tajuddin Ahmed was the first prime minister of Bangladesh from 11 April 1971 until 13 January 1972. ... Muhammad Mansur Ali (b. ... Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman was a Bangladeshi politician, a senior leader of the Awami League and a close confidante of the countrys founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. ... Dhaka Central Jail is the historic jail located in the old section of Dhaka, Bangladesh. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Bangla: শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ) (born September 28, 1947) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. ...

After 1975, the party remained split in rivalling factions, and fared poorly in the 1979 parliamentary elections held under a military government. In 1981, Sheikh Hasina returned after the largest party faction, "Bangladesh Awami League," elected her its president, took over party leadership, and successfully united the factions. However, because of being underage she could not take part in the 1981 presidential elections that followed the assassination of military dictator Ziaur Rahman. Throughout the following nine years of military dictatorship by General Ershad, AL participated in some polls and boycotted most, nearly all of which were allegedly rigged. Sheikh Hasina Wajed (Bangla: শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ) (born September 28, 1947) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. ... Ziaur Rahman (Bangla: জিয়াউর রহমান) (January 19, 1936 – May 30, 1981) was Bangladeshs President. ... Hossain Mohammad Ershad (born 01 February 1930) was the military dictator of Bangladesh from 1982 until 1990. ...

When the first free and acceptable parliamentary polls since 1975 was held in 1991, Awami League emerged as the largest opposition party in the parliament. It made major electoral gains in 1994 as its candidates won mayoral elections in the two largest cities of the country: capital Dhaka and commercial capital Chittagong. Demanding electoral reforms, the party resigned from the parliament in 1995, boycotted the February 1996 parliamentary polls, and subsequently won 146 out of 300 seats in June 1996 parliamentary polls. Supported by a few smaller parties, Awami League formed a "Government of National Unity," and elected a non-partisan person, retired Chief Justice, President Shahabuddin Ahmed to be the head of state. Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Ḍhākā), population 12,560,000[1] (2005 UN projection for statistical metropolitan area), is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. ... Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the major seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. ... This page lists Presidents of Bangladesh. ... Shahabuddin Ahmed Shahabuddin Ahmed (b. ...

1996 - 2001

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 Ganga (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 detereorating law and order situation troubled the government. Its pro-poor policies achieved wide micro-econimic development but that left the country's wealthy business class dissatisfied. 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 cases 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 Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand, and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices of several Asian countries, many part of the East Asian Tigers. ... This article is about the river. ... The Padma is a major river in Bangladesh. ... An Anti-tank mine, or AT mine is similar to a Landmine except generally designed with a less sensitive trigger and more explosive power so as to be able to take out an armored vehicle, and not go off until such a vehicle comes along. ... Gopalganj is a district (zila in Bangla) in the Dhaka division (bibhag in Bangla) of Bangladesh. ...

In October 2001 election, the party won 40% of the votes up from 36% of 1996 and 33% of 1991 but got only 62 out of 300 seats as a right wing nationalist-fundamentalist alliance won two-thirds majority in the parliament with 46% votes. Since then, the AL has been vigorously pursuing a campaign to bring about reforms in the electoral laws that it views as prone to corruption.

2001 - 2006

In its second term in opposition since 1991, the party faced assassination of important party personnel. Popular young leader Ahsanullah Master, a MP from Gazipur, was killed in 2004. This was followed by a grenade attack on Hasina in Dhaka, resulting in the death of 21 party supporters, including party women's secretary Ivy Rahman, and senior party leader and ex minister Samad Azad. Finally, party's electoral secretary, ex finance minister, and veteran diplomat Shah A.M.S. Kibria, a MP from Hobiganj, was killed in a grenade attack in Sylhet later that year. Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ... Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ... Shah Jalal Mazar (Tomb) Sylhet (Sylheti: Silôţ; Bengali: সিলেট, Sileţ, formerly Srihôţţo) is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. ...

In June 2005, the Awami League got a boost, when AL nominated incumbent mayor A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury won the important mayoral election in commercial capital Chittagong by a huge margin. This election was seen as a showdown between the opposition and the ruling party. 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 on him failed to explode. The Bangladesh Awami League (বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ Bāŋlādeś Āowāmī Līg) or the Bangadesh Peoples League is the main opposition party in Bangladesh. ... Mohiuddin Chowdhury is a the mayor of Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh, and a veteran politician associated with the Bangladesh Awami League. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger,greater) is in modern times the title of the highest ranking municipal officer, who discharges certain judicial and administrative functions, in many systems an elected politician, who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of municipalities. ... Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the major seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. ... Shah Jalal Mazar (Tomb) Sylhet (Sylheti: Silôţ; Bengali: সিলেট, SileÅ£, formerly Srihôţţo) is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. ... Grenade may refer to: The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ...

In August 2006, several of the parties top leaders including Saber Hossain Choudhury MP and Asaduzzaman Nur MP were hospitalised after being critically injured in police brutality while demostrating in support of electoral reforms.

Future Directions

Leadership

It is widely expected that Mujib's grandson Sajib Wajed Joy, currently a student in the US, would succeed Hasina as party chief in near future. Though he is yet to formally join the party his increasingly frequent visits to Bangladesh, attendance of party programs, and growing popularity among party workers all indicate a repeatition of the South Asian political culture of family succession despite his being married to a non-Muslim white US citizen and his long stay abroad.

Though most of the leading AL leaders are in their late sixties now, there is a pretty even distribution of age groups among the party hierarchy. AL's younger genre of leaders include KM Obaidul Kader, Saber Hossain Choudhury, Asaduzzaman Nur, A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Mohammad nasim, and Sohel Taj: all of whom are in their thirties and forties. Mohiuddin Chowdhury is a the mayor of Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh, and a veteran politician associated with the Bangladesh Awami League. ...

Upcoming Elections 2007

After the 2001 elections the Awami League formed a left-leaning alliance of 14 parties with who it intends to form an elctoral coalition for participating in future parliamentary polls, expected in January 2007. However, there is a genuine possibility that the AL may boycott the polls unless their demand for reforming the electoral rules are met.

An electoral analysis conducted by a private research institution owned by an ex-MP of the ruling BNP based on field level surveys was published in leading Bangladeshi newspapers including The Daily Star and Prothom Alo in October 2006. It showed that the AL had 23% public support at that point against's BNP's 16% while more than half the electorate of the country were undecided. The study predicted 180 seats for the AL and 80 for BNP in the next general election due to be held in 2007. BNP may be: Bangladesh Nationalist Party , a Bangladeshi political party. ... The Daily Star is a British tabloid newspaper. ... Prothom Alo (Bangla: প্রথম আলো) is a major daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka. ...

See also

• Politics of Bangladesh
• List of political parties in Bangladesh.

Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. ... This article lists political parties in Bangladesh. ...

External link

• Awami League web site