Bangladesh will vote on Thursday in its first general election since a Gen Z rebellion toppled an aging dictatorship. Tens of millions of young people dreamed that this uprising would chart a new course for the country.
In summer 2024, footage of protesters storming longtime leader Sheikh Hasina’s mansion and fleeing by helicopter shocked the world and galvanized other youth-led movements against corruption and cronyism that helped overthrow governments in Nepal and Madagascar.
Many are happy that Hasina’s 15-year rule, marked by accusations of election fraud, plundering state resources and brutal suppression of opposition, is over.
Mirza Shakil, a student who participated in the protests to overthrow Hasina, told CNN: “The revolution showed what Gen Z is capable of achieving.”
But the two candidates most likely to lead Bangladesh to a post-Hasina future are a far cry from the ones who risked everything on the barricades and in the streets to defeat Bangladesh.
One is the 60-year-old scion of a political dynasty that has dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades. The other is a 67-year-old Islamist leader whose party does not field a female candidate in the polls.
“We dreamed of a country where everyone has equal opportunities, regardless of gender, race or religion,” another former protester, Sadman Mujtaba Rafid, told Reuters.
“I was hoping for policy changes and reforms, but it’s far from what I dreamed of.”
Hasina’s downfall began with student demonstrations over civil service quotas. In response, her government launched a brutal and bloody crackdown, which only galvanized the movement and sent more people to the streets.
Protests quickly spread across the country, and when the military announced it would not open fire on protesters, it was clear that Hasina’s rule was over.
In August 2024, students attacked her official residence, destroyed the walls and looted the contents, forcing her to flee and seek asylum in neighboring India.
Last November, a Dhaka court sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for her role in the riots, which the United Nations Human Rights Office estimates killed around 1,400 people.
Hasina now finds herself a pawn in a tense standoff between the two countries, with Bangladesh requesting her extradition to face justice for crimes she claims she did not commit. Her Awami League will be banned from participating in future polls.
Hasina and her party’s absence has been a boost for their historic rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Its leader, Tarique Rahman, the son of the late Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister and Hasina’s rival, returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile and is now seen as the favorite to win.
Another veteran party enjoying a resurgence is Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, which is making a comeback after years of repression under Hasina.
Meanwhile, the National Civic Party (NCP), a political party founded by students after the uprising, has struggled to meaningfully penetrate Bangladesh’s difficult and often violent political scene.
In late December, it announced a partnership with Jamaat-e-Islam, surprising many.
Naomi Hossain, professor of development studies at SOAS, University of London, said part of the agreement was about protection.
“A section of the NCP is likely to win seats if it forms an alliance with the Jamaat,” she told CNN.
She further said that in “violent political situations” parliamentary status provides protection, but without it leaders fear they would be “very vulnerable to backlash”.
A spate of violent clashes against candidates and religious minorities has frayed nerves. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has faced criticism for failing to maintain law and order in the country.
This instability contrasts with the initial hopes of many of the student movement participants.
The NCP “promised reforms, inclusivity and many other things,” said student protester Nachifa Jannat.
Working together with a party that does not field a single female candidate feels like a betrayal.
She said this was a “disgraceful incident”. “We told them how shameful this was for us.”
Still, there is an atmosphere of anticipation on the streets of Dhaka, with Thursday’s vote being described by many as the first free and fair election in more than a decade.
Shakir, a former protester, told CNN: “The election could bring something new.”
“We’re excited.”
