The fact that Jamaat has won so many seats for the first time ever -- most of them along Indian borders -- should be a cause for concern for India. While Bangladeshis may not have embraced Islamic fundamentalism this time, anti-Indian sentiment is clearly gaining ground.
Bangladesh has held many elections since independence in 1971. But few have carried the weight of this week’s vote. Now comes the harder test: Proving that victory does not mean domination.
Emerging markets ETFs’ rally has been somewhat of a surprise: They own shares of companies in less-developed nations. For decades, these stocks took a backseat with investors who would rather pay up for shares of giant companies in developed nations like the U.S. But now, many factors are working in emerging markets’ favor.
Sushila Karki was given an impossible task as PM that she has handled with poise and praise
Are you relieved (or disappointed) that Jamaat did not get more seats? Not so fast. This election was a big victory for the party. Those who are disappointed with Jamaat’s result have not yet had their basic lessons in politics.
A democracy matures not when one party wins, but when citizens quietly redraw the boundaries of power. In this election, women redrew those boundaries. The republic now stands on ballots they cast.
Despite a paucity of resources, a showing of 66,000 was very creditable. Even without all their resources, without AL and minority votes, the BNP candidate would likely not have prevailed. This was an encouraging start that provides a strong base for the future.
Bangladesh remains socially conservative in many ways, but voters demonstrated political moderation. Economic stability, welfare support, and social peace mattered more than ideological confrontation. The electorate did not reject religion. It rejected restriction. It did not embrace radical liberalism. It embraced balance.
BNP has to govern not merely as the winner of an election but as the steward of a divided nation. Jamaat-e-Islami has to act as a parliamentary opposition, not as a liberation war revision society. The international community has to support democratic consolidation, not strategic alignment.
Tarique Rahman can do what Sheikh Hasina would not: trust the Parliament he leads. Let it examine the Yunus era, line by line. Keep what works. Amend what can be saved. In that sequence, through that process, a course will emerge.
The winners and losers, and those in between, in the aftermath of the February 12 polls
What did the February 12 elections mean for the future of Bangladesh?
Bangladesh has debated itself intensely this season . Now the debate shifts from imagination to implementation. Dhaka is not beyond saving. But it will not be saved by manifestos alone.
A Yunus presidency could arguably benefit Bangladesh considerably. Despite domestic criticism from certain groups, he continues to command considerable respect internationally, and no other Bangladeshi figure possesses comparable global stature
The new government will need to deal with a range of issues related to transitional justice, to include accountability, truth, healing, and (ultimately) reconciliation.
What Dr. Yunus and his team of advisers stepped into was not a functioning state awaiting a caretaker, it was institutional wreckage requiring reconstruction. What followed was a period of institution-building that, whatever its imperfections, deserves recognition.
