Four weeks after former premier Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh during a student-led revolt, the absence of her Awami League has left a notable void in the country's political landscape. Who will step up to fill that void?
On August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh's long-serving prime minister following weeks of deadly protests over a controversial quota system for government jobs that would have reserved more than half of the well-paid and secure civil service positions for specific groups.
The student demonstrations morphed into a mass movement that forced Hasina to leave office and flee to India, ending her 15-year iron-fisted tenure. An interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus — which includes two student leaders in senior positions — now runs the country.
According to Human Rights Watch, hundreds were killed and thousands more injured in what were among the deadliest crackdowns on protests in Bangladesh's recent history.
"Over 1,000 people have been killed and over 400 students have lost their eyesight," according to a statement from the interim Health Ministry cited by Reuters news agency.
Will the BNP fill the political void?
For most of the past three decades, Bangladesh has been governed either by Hasina's Awami League or the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of her rival Khaleda Zia.
With Hasina out of the picture, the opposition BNP is keen to talk to other parties to create a road map for political reform and elections.
"When a void is created in politics, a storm comes to fill that void," BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed told DW. "If an artificial void is prolonged, it will inevitably be filled somehow. Therefore, the best approach is to engage in dialogue."
Jamaat's goal: 'political unity'
While the center-right BNP is pushing for discussions, their long-time ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, has taken a different approach.
Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, had been banned by Hasnia's government under an anti-terrorism law, however the interim government last week revoked the ban on the Islamic party, saying it did not find evidence of its involvement in "terrorist activities."
Jamaat is now looking to strengthen its political position and, according to local newspaper reports, it wants to unite Islamic parties in areas where these parties have a strong presence.
Jamaat's central publicity secretary, Matiur Rahman Akand, said the party has discussed forming an Islamic alliance.
"We have said that all political parties and forces should unite to build the country," Akand told DW. "No minority, no majority, we want unity."
When asked whether there are any future plans for an Islamic alliance, he said, "We can't say anything about the future right now. Given the current situation, we are trying to figure out how to build the country."
Students want a 'non-binary' system
Meanwhile, Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the anti-quota student movement, recently told DW that they want to move beyond binary politics.
"We will expect change," Abdullah told DW. "The binary system that has been created, either right or left, either up or down, either Awami League or BNP, this binary politics that has developed, Bangladesh will come out of it."
In an earlier interview, he also mentioned that he wanted to see a change in the family-based politics of Bangladesh.
"We Bangladeshis haven't seen any sustainable change through this family-based politics," Abdullah said. "I hope Bangladesh will come out of this family-based politics for sustainable change."
Abdullah also addressed speculation that students would form a new political party, insisting that no decision had been made.
But the BNP's secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, said they would welcome the formation of a student party.
"Democracy is about a multi-party system," Alamgir said. "We should let a hundred flowers bloom."
GM Quader, chairman of the Jatiya Party, the third largest in Bangladesh, expressed similar sentiments, saying that, "if students form a party, we will commend it."
But when asked if a student party would pose a political challenge to the BNP, Alamgir pointed out that his party has been established for decades.
"We were born in 1979," Alamgir told DW. "When elections are held, it will be clear who has how much support. We have proven it on the streets, so I don't want to argue about that."
Quader, referring to the two student leaders who are currently part of the interim government, said, "However, if they form a political party while being in the government, it won't be a level-playing field."
When will elections take place?
Balgladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, recently outlined some guidelines for state reforms in an address to the nation — but he did not present a clear plan for the elections.
He called for patience and said that the decision on the election road map would be made through political discussions. He emphasized the importance of strengthening local government institutions and decentralizing power to solidify democracy.
"To give a successful outcome to the mass uprising of students and people, we will complete the necessary reforms in the administration, judiciary, election commission, electoral system, law enforcement, and information flow to organize a free, fair, and participatory election," Yunus said.
However, some analysts believe that the current interim government should at least announce a broad road map.
"They should make it clear that their first task is to compile a database of those killed and injured in the July massacre, and outline the steps they are taking for justice," Samina Lutfa, associate professor of sociology at Dhaka University, said in reference to the deadly student demonstrations.
Clock ticking
Lutfa believes that the interim government should clearly explain how the economy will be managed in the short term and then outline the long-term issues.
"It is certain that the constitution will have to be amended," she said.
"Otherwise, nothing currently happening in Bangladesh can be done under the current constitution. If they want to form a constituent assembly or hold a convention to amend the constitution, that would be the second step," Lufta said, adding that as a third step, Bangladesh could move towards elections.
According to her, if the current government clearly communicates these matters, all political parties will gain confidence, and even non-reactionary parties will have the time and opportunity to organize themselves.
(The feature was published in Deutsche Well on Monday and re-posted for the English version of The Bangladesh Pratidin)
Deutsche Welle
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