All eyes turn to upcoming Bangladesh elections

In Bangladesh, all eyes are turning to the upcoming elections and referendum set for the 12th of February. Since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina over 18 months ago, the Interim Government has been working towards internationally accepted elections, saying it needed time to ensure the elections ran smoothly. However, less than a month away from the elections, very large questions remain.

Despite it being a crucial time for the country, Muhammad Yunus appears to have vanished. The man who is seen by many as the figurehead of post revolutionary Bangladesh has all but disappeared from public life in the past few months, a stark departure from his previous presence at public events, with some speculating he may be trying to do a deal to become the next President. His disappearance from the national and international stage has allowed Tarique Rahman, the leader of the BNP to act as the de facto leader of the country, taking meetings with Indian dignitaries at a time where Bangladesh-India relations are at an all time low.

Souring relations with India are not the only issue facing the Bangladeshi government, and many are speculating that the conspicuous absence of the man who promised to turn the country around before the elections may be an admission of failure.

Inflation is rising again and the country’s banking system has remained an ongoing issue. The Interim Government has also failed to get a handle on rising interpersonal and sectarian violence in the country, which led to the murder of a high-profile figure late last year.

Yunus came to power promising social cohesion, a reformed political system and new economic opportunities for the country, pledging to tackle the issues that brought people out on the streets in the first place. However, his own government and its allies have repeatedly been hit with corruption scandals, despite their promise to tackle this issue. Outrage over such scandals and limited economic opportunity were a key part of the movement which brought down Hasina, yet the behaviour has persisted in the interim government.

These allegations of financial misconduct are made even more galling when the state of the country’s economy as a whole is considered. 18 months after the uprising, inflation is rising (having been above 8% for 41 months) and the banking system remains fraught with non-performing loans.

Ultimately, the country has slid backwards as the lofty ambitions and ideals that underpinned the revolution dissipated under the interim government’s watch. Unlike traditional caretaker administrations, the interim government has pursued a targeted series of reforms that will fundamentally reshape Bangladesh in its image. But the partisan nature of its actions belies a deep mistrust of Bangladesh’s political system and, by extension, the will of the Bangladeshi people.

It calls into question the legacy Muhammad Yunus will leave in Bangladesh. Having gone from an internationally renowned leader in the NGO space, Yunus could have spent time amongst the pet projects of global elites. Instead, he’s overseen a temporary government coming apart at the seams as pre-existing social tensions and eroding trust in government seeps in and fills the gaps the government was meant to fill, leaving whoever’s to be Bangladesh’s first democratically elected in 18 months the gargantuan task of trying to clean up the Interim Government’s mess.

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