As Bangladesh prepares for its 2024 elections, a familiar but chilling specter haunts the political landscape: the potential misuse of social media, which has reshaped the landscape since the 2018 parliamentary election. The stakes are high. More than 50 million Bangladeshis, more than half the population, are on social media, particularly young people who constitute … Read more
Dhaka University authorities canceled a discussion on recent changes in the national curriculum just hours before it was to take place on December 13 after reportedly receiving a call from a “special place.” The person in charge, a professor at the university, defended the move by saying that the panelists were suspected of discussing things … Read more
Bangladesh is scheduled to vote in general elections on January 7, 2024. However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country’s largest opposition party, is boycotting the election. It has alleged that an election held under the ruling Awami League will not be free or fair. It has been holding protest rallies across the country over the … Read more
During cricket matches, viewers can see a win probability percentage of the teams playing on the field. Sometimes, in the last few overs, the result of the match becomes so obvious that the winning team’s win probability turns 99 percent. A similar scenario is unfolding in Bangladesh. In an election scheduled for January 7, 2024, … Read more
Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) government is pressing ahead with holding general elections in January 2024 amid what Human Rights Watch says is a “violent autocratic crackdown” on the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). At least 10,000 opposition activists have been arrested since October 28 and many grassroots activists have fled their homes to avoid arrest … Read more
Bangladesh will vote in parliamentary elections on January 7. However, the election is far from inclusive, as around one-third of the country’s 44 registered political parties will not be participating. Several opposition parties have called for a boycott of the election since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina refused to heed their demand to hold elections under … Read more
Advertisement Bangladesh is due to vote in general elections in January 2024. Opposition parties are threatening to boycott the election if the Awami League government does not meet their demand for elections under a caretaker government. The opposition’s protest rallies have been peaceful so far, but this could change in the coming weeks and months, … Read more
Advertisement Within foreign policy, domestic variables play a vital role. We have seen this in Bangladesh-India relations before. A mural in the new Indian Parliament building that was termed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister as depicting “Akhand Bharat” (Undivided India) caused Bangladesh’s government to ask for an explanation from India’s Ministry of External … Read more
Advertisement Bangladesh is heading into a tumultuous election season. The country is scheduled to vote in general elections in January 2024. Elections in 2014 and 2018 were controversial and Bangladeshis as well as their country’s foreign friends are keenly observing events and guessing what lies ahead. In this article, I put forward three scenarios based … Read more
Advertisement In 2018, Bangladeshi journalist Shahidul Alam was picked up by police, tortured, and imprisoned for 107 days, after he gave an interview to Al Jazeera television. Following a high-profile international campaign for his release, he is now out of jail. But he is not off the hook, since the Bangladeshi government is persisting with … Read more