elections
What message emanates from the attack on Hero Alom?
Hero Alom may have been ostracised by our political and cultural elites, but he has a huge fan base among the poor and working class.
The EC can't ignore low voter turnout
Absence of main opposition remains the biggest challenge
'The way parliament is run these days is detrimental to holding the government accountable'
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Jatiya Sangsad, five-time lawmaker and president of the ruling alliance partner Workers’ Party, Rashed Khan Menon, talks about what an effective parliament should be like in an interview with Mohiuddin Alamgir of The Daily Star.
A farewell to EVMs
While the decision to scrap the EVMs is a step in the right direction, the EC must not lose sight of the fact that there are many other pressing issues that it must address for a free, fair and participatory elections.
Lu’s visit: Old message, only louder
Secretary Lu’s visit, against these backgrounds, reiterated the message of the past year that the US would like to see a fair and inclusive election in Bangladesh and that it is concerned about the shrinking civic space.
Is BNP emerging as a worthy opposition?
Recent mass gatherings mobilised by BNP signal a change in their strategy
Whatever happened to the drive for candidates with 'clean image'?
There is no guarantee that elected candidates will stick to their clean image of yore.
AL never uses backdoor to grab power: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said Awami League never used the backdoor for grabbing power, rather it always assumes state power through elections.
'Danger for democracy'
Expressing frustration over the poor voters' presence in many places during the upazila polls, Juktafront Chairman Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday warned that the voters' apathy might put democracy in grave danger.
Municipality polls: 6 hurt in Jhalakathi
Six people including the mayor and rebel candidate of Awami League were injured in Jhalakati Sadar upazila amid the ongoing municipal elections, being held in nine districts.
Wait for leading role
Bangladesh returned to democracy in 1991 and since then the country has been ruled by two female leaders. In between, there had been around three years of interim periods, basically to hold elections. Bangladesh is also a rare country in the world where the two largest political parties are being led by two women for over the last three decades.
BNP fails to nominate candidates in 25 UPs
The BNP could not nominate anyone within the deadline yesterday for contesting the chairman posts in at least 25 Union Parishads in the second phase of elections for a lack of interest among its grassroots.
BNP to hold elections to 2 top posts
Ahead of the party's sixth national council, the BNP yesterday announced the schedule for elections to its top two posts -- chairperson and senior vice-chairman.
UP polls from Mar 22
Elections to 752 union parishads, the biggest grassroots-level polls, will be held on March 22 on partisan lines for the first time.
AL wins in 4, BNP in 3 municipal polls
The ruling Awami League wins in four municipalities while its arch rival BNP bags three mayoral posts in the elections to the local government bodies which were suspended due to violence and irregularities.
Losing faith in electoral processes
No elections in a democratic world are perfect, be it in a liberal or an emerging democracy.
They all care about democracy
The month of January has come again, starting a new year with new hopes and new promises. But it makes no difference to those stuck in a circle of pain, sorrow and uncertainties resulted from the unprecedented violence last year.
'Helpless, shocked'
"Less than an hour after the voting began, some seven to eight ruling party men stormed the booth I was assigned to. Identifying themselves as Chhatra League and Jubo League activists, they tried to take the ballots away from me."
AL to discipline 23 rebel-backer MPs
The ruling Awami League has listed more than twenty of its lawmakers who will have to face disciplinary action for backing rebel candidates in Wednesday's municipality elections, say party insiders.
