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Despite announcing February 12, 2026, as its next election date, Bangladesh has failed to restore public confidence. Ongoing unrest, contested reforms, questions over the Election Commission’s neutrality, and the exclusion of major political actors reveal that legitimacy depends not on dates, but on trust, inclusion, and credible institutions.

Bangladesh’s reconstituted Election Commission was presented as a reset after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster. Six months on, critics say it has become an extension of interim power—delaying elections, echoing government positions, and excluding the Awami League, raising serious questions about independence, legitimacy, and the future of democratic rule.

As Bangladesh navigates political uncertainty, claims of “neutral leadership” face a critical test. This article examines how unresolved labor, financial, and regulatory cases surrounding Muhammad Yunus complicate assertions of moral authority, highlighting why legal clarity, not global reputation, ultimately determines credibility in democratic governance.

The Tk 252 crore welfare fund dispute has emerged as Bangladesh’s clearest accountability test. At its core is not ideology or reputation, but workers’ money, deducted from wages and allegedly not returned. For affected families, justice is measured not in narratives, but in restitution.

Microcredit promised empowerment in rural Bangladesh but often delivered discipline through debt. Rigid repayments, social pressure, and survival borrowing reshaped household power, intensified stress, and produced regional spillovers, revealing how development finance can enforce control rather than create opportunity.

External influence is often mistaken for direct control. In Bangladesh’s political churn, Pakistan’s role, where it exists, operates through aligned networks, shared narratives, and ideological convergence rather than command and coordination. Understanding this distinction is critical to crafting effective, resilient policy responses.

By Major General RPS Bhadauria (Retd) The recent political upheaval in Bangladesh, which saw the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government and...

By Aritra Banerjee Bangladesh is witnessing a deepening crisis in governance and human rights under its interim government, as a series...