The world watched with bated breath as the results of the much-awaited Bangladesh parliamentary elections were announced, revealing a massive victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) with a two-thirds majority. It is also certain that Tarique Rahman, the son of party chairwoman Begum Khaleda Zia, who had been prevented from succeeding her, will assume office as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina, who sought to cling to power by brutally suppressing the student protests that should have been hailed as a popular uprising—killing at least 1,400 people—fled to India for refuge, paving the way for Nobel laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus to lead an interim government that conducted democratic elections and installed a people’s government. We cannot forget that Sheikh Hasina, who ruled continuously for 15 years, imprisoned the opposition leader, hanged prominent leaders of the main opposition Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and banned the party to cling to power. She suppressed all dissenting voices through brute force. When the ruling party violated all restraints, both the student and youth wings took to the streets. As the protests turned violent, the government deployed security forces, and the bloody aftermath led to the prime minister’s covert escape.
The election results prove that Begum Khaleda Zia’s long imprisonment did not diminish her popularity but instead strengthened it. After her son Tarique Rahman left the country and lived abroad for a prolonged period, it must have been the hope that stability and development would be possible in Bangladesh that inspired the people to bring him back, entrust him with the leadership of the Nationalist Party, and grant it an unprecedented victory in the election. Bangladesh, which former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once disparagingly described as an “international basket case”, has since defied such criticism and built a moderately diversified economy; yet the country continues to struggle with unemployment, poverty, and widespread corruption. The BNP’s election promise is to address these issues and raise Bangladesh to a trillion-dollar economy by 2034. It aims to achieve this by attracting foreign investors and uplifting small and medium-sized businesses. The party pledges to further strengthen the country’s textile industry—the backbone of its economy—and ensure poverty eradication. If these goals are to be achieved even to a certain extent, Tarique Rahman must be able to overcome the corruption, nepotism, and excessive subservience to foreign powers that weakened the Awami League. Sheikh Hasina’s strengthened ties with major powers such as China and the United States, as well as her relationship with close ally India, pose key questions for the diplomatic strategy of the new government. The BNP government must also address the insecurity that reportedly intensified among religious minorities during the interim administration. The Modi government’s future ties with neighbouring Bangladesh hinge on whether India will hand over Hasina—who has reportedly already been sentenced to death by an international tribunal for heinous crimes—to the new people’s government.
The most striking feature of the election results is that the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami alliance, expected by observers to come to power, fell short of its goal. Although it has secured three times more seats than in the previous election, Dr Shafiqur Rahman’s party and its front have little cause for comfort. At the same time, if the Jamaat leader’s earlier assurance that they would strive for a national government even if they secured a majority in the election was the result of a reassessment, that very outlook should motivate the party to function as a constructive opposition. We sincerely hope that our neighbouring country will, by every means, evolve into a truly democratic state that includes all sections of its people.