August M
A year and a half after student-led demonstrations forced Bangladesh’s prime minister from office, voters are returning to the polls. The election is the first since the 2024 uprising that reshaped the country’s political landscape and raised expectations of sweeping reform.
According to TV 2 News, the protests began in July 2024 over a job quota system that many young people viewed as unfair. With youth unemployment high, demonstrators demanded changes to rules that reserved significant numbers of public sector posts for selected groups.
At least six people were killed and hundreds injured as unrest spread across campuses. The crisis ultimately led to Sheikh Hasina leaving office and going into exile in India.
From revolt to party
The demonstrations gave rise to a new political force, the National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by activists who promised to break with established elites.
However, support for the party has waned. Surveys from the US-based National Republican Institute indicate it is polling at about 6%.
“What is special about Bangladesh is that a party grew out of the protests,” Alexander Sjöberg, Asia correspondent at Berlingske, told TV 2. He said that while leadership changed, deeper reforms have yet to materialise.
Old forces return
The main contest is expected to be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Polling cited by TV 2 News suggests 33% support for the BNP and 29% for Jamaat-e-Islami.
Many voters continue to express concern about corruption and instability, and some feel that the ambitions of the 2024 protest movement have not been fully realised.
Uncertain path ahead
Youth-led demonstrations have influenced politics across parts of Asia in recent years, but structural change has proved harder to secure.
Sjöberg warned that if entrenched power structures remain intact, frustration could resurface.
“The system and the fundamental sense of injustice that brought young people to the streets have not changed much,” he said.
Sources: TV 2 News, National Republican Institute
