The student-led uprising in July 2024, initially sparked by protests against a quota-based public service recruitment system, culminated in the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule on August 5th, 2024. Her administration was marked by corruption, authoritarianism, and widespread human rights violations. The regime’s brutal response to the protests, including ‘shoot-at-sight’ orders that claimed over 800 lives, triggered nationwide unrest and forced her government to flee.
In the wake of this political upheaval, public demands for structural reforms intensified. The interim government established six commissions to propose key reforms, including introducing bicameral parliamentary systems, term limits for the prime minister, and provisions for election-time caretaker governments. However, debates have emerged over the prioritization of reforms and the timeline for elections, with the chief adviser suggesting polls could occur between December 2025 and June 2026, despite constitutional provisions requiring elections within 90 days of parliament’s dissolution.
Public confidence in the interim government has waned. A BRAC survey in October 2024 showed declining approval ratings, with political optimism dropping from 71% to 56% and negative economic outlooks rising to 52%. Amid this uncertainty, the Asia Democracy Network (ADN) and the Sydney Policy and Analysis Centre (SPAC) organized the webinar ‘Is Bangladesh on the Right Track? People’s Demands and Leadership’s Response’ on November 28th, 2024, to assess the government’s response to public demands and expectations.
This brief provides a summary of the discussion.
