Democracy Regains Strong Foothold in Bangladesh

Bangladesh appears to be getting a strong footing once again in democracy after a political changeover in last February through a participatory election as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured an overwhelmed majority in vote and assumed office.

The democracy that reemerged on the election day of 12 February 2026 is reshaping its course now with good governance and rule of law under the BNP led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. So, the people of Bangladesh are now beginning to feel and appreciate the value of the democracy they had been deprived of for years.

Yet Bangladesh's present democratic course has not been an easy one. The people endured years of repression and a long, painful and bloody political history during Sheikh Hasina's autocratic rule that came to an end on 5 August 2024, amid a massive student-led popular uprising, ending her nearly 16-year misrule, marking a turning point in Bangladesh's political history.

Bangladesh witnessed a steady erosion of democratic institutions, political freedoms and public trust during Sheikh Hasina's misrule. Elections lost their credibility, opposition politics came under intense pressure, the media faced growing restrictions, and state institutions were increasingly accused of serving political interests rather than the public.

International human rights organisations and democracy watchdogs documented a serious deterioration in political competition, civil liberties, freedom of expression, and accountability during the fascist regime of Sheikh Hasina. One of the most significant controversies was the abolition of the constitutional caretaker-government system in 2011, resulting in boycotting the 2014 parliamentary election by BNP alliance while 153 of the 300 directly elected parliamentary seats were uncontested.

The 2018 election generated further allegations of irregularities and it was dubbed as midnight election while the January 2024 election was dubbed as dummy election as Awami League set dummy candidates as independent ones to legalize the polls.

During the Hasina era, opposition parties, particularly the BNP, frequently faced arrests, criminal cases, restrictions on demonstrations, and political violence. According to the BNP, nearly 6 million cases were filed against approximately 150,000 of its leaders and activists.

The party has also alleged that many of its members were subjected to what it described as politically motivated or fabricated cases. There are also claims that opposition figures faced severe legal consequences, including lengthy prison sentences and, in some cases, death sentences, through verdicts that are widely described as politically influenced or predetermined.

Other than dissent political leaders, journalists, editors, activists, and ordinary citizens faced legal and political pressure for criticizing the government. The Digital Security Act (DSA) 2018 appeared to be a draconian law that used to silent the opposition people.

A study by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), covering the period from October 2018 to September 2023, found that at least 4,520 people were charged in 1,436 cases filed under the law as at least 451 journalists were sued under the DSA and at least 97 journalists were also arrested.

The disappearance of photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in March 2020, followed by his detention, became one of the most prominent cases associated with the Digital Security Act. During the COVID-19 pandemic, cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and writer Mushtaq Ahmed were detained over Facebook posts and satirical cartoons concerning the government's handling of the pandemic. Mushtaq later died in custody after being denied bail on multiple occasions as Jagannath University student Khadijatul Kubra spent more than a year in detention in two Digital Security Act cases linked to online programmes she had hosted.

The brutal double murder of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi on 11 February 2012 remains one of the most high-profile and sensational unsolved crimes in Bangladesh. The couple was stabbed to death inside their rented apartment in West Rajabazar, Dhaka, in front of their five-year-old son. 

Press freedom also came under sustained pressure during Sheikh Hasina's tenure. Several media outlets, including Amar Desh, Dainik Dinkal, Diganta TV, Islamic TV and Channel 1, were shut down at different times. The right to peacefully protest was also denied.

Enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and abuse by security forces were common during Hasina period. A government-appointed Commission of Inquiry verified 1,569 complaints of enforced disappearance between 2009 and 2024. Of those cases, 1,282 people were subsequently found or released, while 251 remained missing and 36 bodies were recovered. The secret detention facility known as "Aynaghar" became a powerful symbol of the fear surrounding enforced disappearances and political repression in Bangladesh during Hasina era.

The culmination of that long crisis came in July and August 2024, when a student-led movement became much more than a protest over a government-job quota. It became an expression of accumulated public anger. Students came to the streets first, but the movement soon spread across society. As the government responded with force, the demand for reform became a demand for fundamental political change.

The July uprising marked one of the most violent episodes in Bangladesh's recent history. The UN estimated that up to 1,400 people may have been killed during the period.

The final outcome came on 5 August, when Sheikh Hasina resigned and flee the country to India. For millions of Bangladeshis, that day represented the end of fear and the beginning of hope.

But removing an authoritarian government was only the first step. The real challenge was to restore democracy through institutions and, above all, through the ballot box. That opportunity came on 12 February 2026, when Bangladesh held a national election in a dramatically changed political environment. The BNP won a decisive majority, and Tarique Rahman took office as prime minister on 17 February.

The early character of the new government has also added another dimension to this democratic renewal. Tarique Rahman's public conduct has been marked by simplicity, restraint and an emphasis on service. He has presented political power less as a privilege and more as a responsibility. His emphasis on a politics free from revenge is particularly significant for a country that has suffered from decades of political confrontation. He has repeatedly spoken of the need to move beyond retaliation and to build a state where people are treated equally, regardless of which political party they support.

That attitude is important because democracy is not measured only by the number of votes cast. It is also measured by how a government behaves after winning those votes. A government proves its democratic character not by how it treats its supporters, but by how it treats its critics. It must allow opposition parties to speak, journalists to investigate, citizens to protest and social-media users to criticise. It must accept that disagreement is not treason and criticism is not a crime.

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There are visible signs that Bangladesh is moving in that direction. Opposition voices are present in parliament. Political parties are able to organize programmes and criticize government policies. The media enjoys greater room to question those in power. Public criticism of the government is more visible. Even satire and political cartoons can appear without fear. This change in political atmosphere may appear simple, but after years of fear it carries enormous democratic significance.

Since taking office, the BNP government has sought to strengthen democratic governance and restore public confidence in democratic institutions. During this period, there have been no reported cases of enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing, no allegations of politically motivated mass cases, and no reported closure of newspapers or media outlets for publishing criticism of the government. Freedom of expression, press freedom and the right to dissent have remained part of the public space; while there have been no credible reports of systematic political harassment of opposition voices. These developments represent an important test of the government's commitment to democratic institutions, civil liberties and accountable governance.

The country has now travelled from years of political fear to a moment of renewed democratic hope. The journey is not complete, and the road ahead will certainly have challenges. But the direction is clear. Elections are once again meaningful. Opposition politics has regained space. Public criticism is more open. Political power has been changed through the ballot box. And a new leadership is seeking to present simplicity, humanity, tolerance and restraint as important qualities of governance.

That is why the story of Bangladesh today is not simply the story of the fall of one government or the rise of another. It is the story of a nation trying to rebuild its democratic soul.

After years of democratic retreat, Bangladesh is now moving forward again. Democracy is not merely returning to the country, it is regaining its strong footing in Bangladesh under Tarique Rahman's leadership.

The writer is the chief reporter at Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)