South Africa’s experience shows that legitimacy depends on perceived impartiality and transparency from day one. For a country at the crossroads, that is an invitation worth considering.
Political criticism will persist, that is the nature of democracy. But a government that governs through law, accountability, and judicial independence will find that criticism becomes manageable, trust becomes durable, and stability becomes achievable.
In the final analysis, a truly elected government is powerful not because it controls the state machinery, but because it commands the consent of the governed. That consent, however, is not permanent; it must be earned every day through performance, integrity, and humility.
The election is over. The excuses must end. The post-2026 election period will be remembered either as the moment Bangladesh finally chose reform, or as another chapter of deferred responsibility.
The question is not whether this election will solve all of Bangladesh’s problems, it will not. The real question is whether it can reopen a democratic pathway that has long been blocked.
We have often heard rhetoric from our leaders about Bangladesh following the Singapore model. But what would that mean in real terms and what are the key things that Singapore did right that Bangladesh can realistically follow?