Awami League Council resumes to choose new leadership

The ruling Awami League will choose its new leadership on Sunday.

The party's 20th National Convention's Council session resumed at 9:30am on Sunday at Dhaka's Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) auditorium after Hasina's arrival.

She was accompanied by General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam to the dais.

 As many as 6,570 councillors from far and wide of the country will chose the new leadership for the next three years.

 The councillors usually elect the president and general secretary. The party chief then nominates people to other positions.

 On Saturday, Prime Minister Hasina formally inaugurated the two-day event at the Suhrawardy Udyan.

 The Awami League made Hasina its president during its 1981 National Council and since then she has been heading the party.

 Hasina had said recently that she would be 'happy' to retire given the opportunity and if the party, founded by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, manages to find a new leader.

 AL leaders, however, insist that there's no alternative to Hasina.

She has made it clear that the council will elect the next batch of leaders, but party leaders are depending on her to make decisions.

The much-discussed issue over the council is about who will be general secretary - whether Syed Ashraf will be retained or replaced.

Hasina's son and her ICT affairs adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy attended the convention on Saturday afternoon as a councillor from the party's Rangpur chapter.

"Sheikh Hasina is our last resort. Now we have another last resort here. He will lead us forward," Syed Ashraf had said, pointing to Joy.