Naomi Hossain, professor of development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, says that it was “not ideal” that the Awami League was excluded from the elections, but it remains unclear how they would have stood in the election, as the group’s leaders are in exile. “There was also a fear that there would be a huge amount of violence … if they were to compete,” Hossain told Al Jazeera.
