Bangladesh will hold national elections next February, the country’s interim leader announced on Tuesday, as he marked the first anniversary of student-led protests that toppled the former prime minister.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who took over after deposed leader Sheikh Hasina fled to India, has been under pressure to restore political stability to the South Asian nation, which is facing deep economic and security challenges, as well as growing unrest over a lack of promised government reforms.
“Each passing day is chipping away at Bangladesh’s stability while undemocratic forces tighten their grip,” a former Bangladeshi diplomat wrote for the Atlantic Council. Inclusive elections may be Dhaka’s “final exit ramp before careening off democracy’s cliff entirely.”
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