Return to Democracy

The new year is upon us and with it the countdown to Election Day begins: 40 days from the time of writing.

As 2026 dawns, it feels as though we are ready to turn a corner as a nation. The twin arrival of Tarique Rahman after 18 years in exile, shortly followed by the death of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia brought with it the sense that we are entering a new era with the new year.

The election will be the final piece of the puzzle, bringing the curtain down on the 18 month-long experiment of the Interim Government.

We feel that it is fair to say that in retrospect the extended non-democratic interregnum was a misstep, and that the nation would have been better served by a quicker transition back to electoral democracy, either within three or a maximum of six months of taking office.

Of course, at the time, in fairness, on August 8, 2024 the country was filled with the spirit of revolutionary fervour and reform, and we had hoped that a lengthy interregnum period would help to fix the systemic and institutional flaws in our democracy and allow us to create a template and foundation for a better, more just, more equitable, and more democratic future moving forward.

It was a worthy goal and a worthy effort, and it is not as though the Interim Government does not have achievements and accomplishments to boast of, but with the finish line in sight, there are very few Bangladeshis who are not looking forward to a return to democracy, with all its messiness and all its imperfections.

Indeed, this return has been a long time coming. The last truly free and fair national elections we had in Bangladesh were in 2008, which means that the majority of the electorate has never voted in a real general election in their lifetimes.

For the Interim Government, this election will be how their legacy is viewed by posterity. At the end of the day, whatever they have achieved and whatever mistakes they have made, everything will be subsumed by this election.

If they are able to preside over a free, fair, and festive election and hand over power without incident to an elected government, then they will be judged a success and the people of Bangladesh will look back at this time with gratitude and appreciation.

Thus it behooves the government to do everything in its power to ensure that the elections are as safe and secure as possible. The measure of good elections is simple: people must be free to vote without coercion or fear, and the votes must be counted in a transparent, credible, and authoritative manner such that there is no question as to the legitimacy of the result.

The people of Bangladesh, too, have a role to play, in addition to turning out to vote on Election Day. 

What we have learned from the July Uprising is that the people of this country are together far more powerful than any government or political party, and that these serve at our pleasure and exist to serve our interests.

In the past, elections have been held hostage by self-serving governments or by political parties who put their interests above those of the voters.

But this can only happen if we let it happen. We are many, and they are few. Polling centres cannot be captured and polling agents cannot put their thumb on the scale if the voting public demands to keep them honest. 

It is not enough to turn out to vote, if the public is in evidence in sufficient numbers, then the political parties will have no ability to influence the result through a show of strength and the election officials will similarly be forced to play their role as honest brokers.

At this stage, more or less the entire country is looking forward to the upcoming elections. They will not be perfect and indeed the absence of the Awami League will cast a shadow over the proceedings.

However, for all its imperfections, the upcoming elections are what we need in the country right now, and we must all come together to ensure that nothing stands in the way of our long-awaited return to democracy.