Bangladesh Votes After 15 Years of Rule
AFP
Dhaka: Bangladesh goes to the polls on Thursday in its first parliamentary elections since a 2024 uprising ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, alongside a landmark referendum on sweeping democratic reforms.
The interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus says the proposed reform charter is aimed at preventing a return to autocratic one-party governance.
The document, known as the “July Charter” after the uprising that toppled Hasina, outlines wide-ranging constitutional, electoral and institutional changes. Key proposals include term limits for prime ministers, the creation of an upper house of parliament, expanded presidential powers and enhanced judicial independence.
Voters will be asked whether they approve the charter, which proposes transforming parliament into a bicameral legislature. The new 100-seat upper house would be allocated proportionally based on each party’s share of the national vote.
The reforms also call for increased representation of women in parliament and require that the deputy speaker and parliamentary committee chairs be elected from the opposition.
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has described the combined election and referendum as a “critical juncture for Bangladesh’s democratic and constitutional order”.
Yunus, 85, who has pledged to step down after the vote, has promoted the charter as the defining legacy of his caretaker administration. “If you cast the ‘yes’ vote, the door to building the new Bangladesh will open,” he said.
Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from participating in the elections. The proposed reforms are backed by key political forces, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition and the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who spearheaded the 2024 uprising.
However, several parties have expressed reservations about certain elements of the charter. Public understanding of the proposals also appears limited.
Dhaka-based IID policy research centre said on Tuesday that only 37 percent of surveyed respondents were aware of the charter’s contents. Among those without formal education, awareness dropped to eight percent.
The IID warned that “closed-door reform bargaining” appeared to have been prioritised over broad public engagement needed for an informed and inclusive referendum.
The referendum requires a simple majority to pass. If approved, it would be binding on the parties that win the election, though formal ratification by the newly elected parliament would still be required.
