History and Characteristics
Following a nine-month war with Pakistan in 1971 in which the Pakistani military engaged in genocide against the Bangladesh population, Bangladesh emerged as an independent country in December of the same year. Although the new country’s constitution instituted...History and Characteristics
Following a nine-month war with Pakistan in 1971 in which the Pakistani military engaged in genocide against the Bangladesh population, Bangladesh emerged as an independent country in December of the same year. Although the new country’s constitution instituted democracy, secularism, Bengali nationalism, and socialism as state principles, its tumultuous history over the past five decades has resulted in military rule and the gradual erosion of democracy under civilian governments, which has led to the current hybrid regime. Before the assassination of the incumbent leaders and the intervention of the military in August 1975, the system of governance had already shifted to one-party authoritarianism under the founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Fifteen years of military rule came to an end through a popular uprising in late 1990 and Bangladesh begun a new democratic era. Since then, two parties – the BNP led by Khaleda Zia, widow of late military ruler Ziaur Rahman (1975 – 1980), and the AL, led by Sheikh Hasina, a daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – assumed power through elections. These elections were held under a caretaker government (CTG) system that involved having a non-partisan administration oversee elections during the transition from one elected government to the next. In addition to the BNP and the AL, the Jatiya Party (JP), led by former dictator General H.M. Ershad (1982 – 1990), and the Islamist Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) became the key forces in the political realm. Although the JI and other religion-based parties were banned under the original constitution, various constitutional amendments under the Ziaur Rahman regime paved the way for their re-emergence beginning in 1978.

In 1991, the country returned to a parliamentary system, but personal charisma and constitutional provisions allowed the concentration of power in the hands of the respective prime minister, Khaleda Zia (1991 – 96, 2001) and Sheikh Hasina (1996 – 2001, 2008 – present). Personal acrimony between these two leaders, a zero-sum attitude, and trust deficits between the two parties resulted in a pernicious political culture while democratic institutions remained either absent or severely weakened. In 2006, against the BNP’s effort to use the CTG system to its benefit, the AL refused to participate in the election scheduled for early 2007. The military staged a soft coup and ruled the country under the guise of a civilian CTG until the end of 2008. Hasina and Khaleda were charged with corruption cases to make them ineligible for public office. Faced with economic crisis and political pressure, the military held an election which delivered a two-thirds majority to the AL. The party, armed with its super-majority, scrapped the CTG system in 2011, using a Supreme Court judgment as a pretext. The BNP declined to participate in elections unless the CTG system would be restored. Despite the boycott of all opposition parties, the incumbent AL went ahead with the election, which was marred by widespread rigging. The AL and its allies won, practically resulting in a one-party parliament. Violence, death, and mayhem ensued. The BNP’s alliance with the JI, which had helped them to secure a victory in 2001 election, increasingly became a liability, especially after the AL founded a tribunal in 2010 to try those who committed war crimes during the war of independence in 1971. Several of the JI leaders have been tried and executed since 2013. The incumbent government attempts to justify its authoritarian bent highlighting the economic growth of the past years.

The BNP participated in the 2018 election as the National Unity Front (NUF) under the leadership of former Law Minister Kamal Hossain (1972 – 1975). However, ahead of the elections, the government intensified persecution, imposed severe restrictions on media, including social media, and disqualified opposition candidates. The election was the most manipulated election in the history of the nation, due to the fact that the Election Commission, the ruling party, the administration, and the law-enforcement agencies including the military worked together to ensure a victory of the AL. Khaleda Zia was convicted ahead of the election and jailed, while her son and “heir apparent,” Tareque Rahman, has remained in self-exile in London after he was convicted in several cases. In May 2020, Khaleda Zia’s sentence was suspended due to her deteriorating health, on the condition that she can neither travel nor participate in political activities. Her party remains fragmented due to a lack of leadership. Show more