Bangladesh's main opposition to boycott vote if Hasina stays put

A public bus burns after it was set on fire by unidentified people during a countrywide blockade called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in protest against police action at their Saturday rally, where police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as clashes erupted, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

DHAKA (Reuters) -Bangladesh's main opposition party will boycott the next general election if Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not make way for a neutral government to conduct the poll, two party leaders said, amid a crackdown on opposition politicians and deadly protests.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose top leadership is either jailed or in exile, is betting that if Hasina does not resign and allow in a caretaker government, boycotting the January election will de-legitimise any win for her and possibly invite international sanctions, one of the leaders said. It boycotted the 2014 election too but participated in 2018.