Uneasy vacuum |
Bangladesh is headed into a February 12 election and a referendum on the July Charter, a proposal to rebalance and limit executive power as well as strengthen independent institutions. Yet, the political landscape remains profoundly unsettled. The country faces an unusual vacuum at the centre, with traditional party structures struggling to assert authority amid rising polarisation.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), long a cornerstone of opposition politics, is grappling with a leadership dilemma: its acting chairman has remained in self-imposed exile in London for nearly two decades. Though legal and security obstacles to his return have been largely addressed, his absence continues to undermine voter confidence, particularly among undecided and centrist constituencies. This leadership gap has created fertile ground for Islamist parties, notably the Jamaat-e-Islami, to intensify their influence. These groups have capitalised on the perceived inertia of the BNP, presenting themselves as assertive political actors........