Following her victory in the disputed general elections in January, which was boycotted by the opposition, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received congratulatory messages from several Asian and allied nations, including India, China, and Russia. However, powerful Western democracies like the United States and United Kingdom expressed concern over the election’s legitimacy. A month later, … Read more
Sheikh Hasina has been sworn in as Bangladesh’s prime minister for the fifth time following a highly controversial election held on January 7. The Awami League (AL), which she leads, won 222 of 300 (almost 75 percent) seats in Parliament. Independents won 62 seats and the Jatiya Party, known as “the ruling party’s managed opposition,” … Read more
The outcome of the 12th parliamentary election in Bangladesh was expected, and long predicted. With the main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), pulling out of the race, the path was always clear for the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in office since January 2009, to tighten her grip on power. Even though calls were … Read more
In September 2023, the United States began imposing visa restrictions on Bangladeshi officials found culpable in “undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.” While these sanctions apply to members of the opposition, law enforcement, judiciary, security services, as well as the ruling party, the latter has viewed itself as the principal target. Meanwhile, the opposition … Read more
On May 24, the U.S. government announced that it “would impose visa restrictions on individuals and their immediate family members, if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.” The announcement is the latest in a string of moves by the U.S. to press Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) government … 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 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 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
Magazine With a notorious track record of crackdowns on the opposition and the free media, a lot is riding on Bangladesh’s general elections next year. People join a protest against the death in prison of Mushtaq Ahmed, a writer who was arrested on charges of violating the sweeping digital security, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 26, … Read more
Advertisement General elections in Bangladesh, which are set to take place in January 2024, are quite significant. Despite being poor and underdeveloped, Bangladesh is growing fast and on a path to becoming a developing country by 2026. In addition, Bangladesh has geostrategic significance. It serves as a connecting bridge between South Asia and East Asia, … Read more