Bangladesh polls: Legitimacy will be a big challenge

THE announcement of the national elections, which will be held on February 12 along with a referendum on sweeping constitutional reforms, marks the start of another challenging chapter in the history of Bangladesh. The young nation will go to the polls for the first time since an uprising spearheaded by students led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August 2024. The Election Commission faces the onerous task of conducting free and fair elections, which have been a rarity in that country during the past five decades. Unfortunately, a level playing field is again conspicuous by its absence, with the interim government banning all activities of the Awami League under an anti-terrorism law.