SRI Lanka has reasons to be satisfied with the response it is receiving from the international community. Three international monitoring bodies have chosen to give the government good reports. The first was the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance based in Sweden. Its Global State of Democracy Index for 2025 saw Sri Lanka jump 15 places since...
Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday called for collective efforts to establish a truly effective democratic state, emphasising the importance of unity in safeguarding democratic values...
THERE is a strange kind of comfort in the scroll. One minute you intend only to check the weather, and suddenly 45 minutes have passed. You find yourself knee-deep in a reel about the collapse of democracy, another about a looming recession, one more about an influencer鈥檚 petty drama and then a final clip of tragedy from halfway across the globe. You pause, your...
Academics, researchers and activists on Saturday said that institutional and legal reforms in the post-uprising era would not sustain unless the political parties institutionalise participatory democracy with youth engagement.
Three former presidents of Sri Lanka expressed solidarity with jailed ex-leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday and condemned his incarceration as a 鈥榗alculated assault鈥� on democracy...
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said that those casting doubt on the upcoming elections were not allies of democracy...
Secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday welcomed the announcement to hold the next national election in February 2026, saying that the party saw it as a step towards restoring democracy in Bangladesh...
POLITICAL parties appear to have made little or no progress in within-the-party practice of democracy or reforms in that direction whilst the government has been busy forging means to effect democratic reforms in state governance by holding dialogues with the political parties. Some political parties have even appeared to be rhetorical about such a democratic practice. It...
DEMOCRACY is not a one-time achievement secured through the ballot box; it is an ongoing process of institutional development, civic engagement and the constant renegotiation of power and accountability. In Bangladesh, the democratic journey has been both inspiring and turbulent. While the country has made notable strides in economic development and social...
WHILE the youth leaders of the victorious July uprising against the autocratic regime of Awami League, a year ago, announced that the spirit of their struggle was to establish a democratic polity and, that too, in the light of Bangladesh鈥檚 historic promise to establish equality, human dignity and social justice, the Jamaat-e-Islami and its political allies at a huge gathering on July...
Kenya marked its fight for democracy on Monday, with police blocking main roads in Nairobi ahead of potential protests, after last month鈥檚 demonstrations descended into violent clashes...
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chair Begum Khaleda Zia stressed the urgency of acting on the opportunity created by the July-August mass uprising to institutionalise democracy, while BNP acting chair Tarique Rahman underscored the need to seize this chance to build a democratic Bangladesh...
IN THE soft twilight of a battered republic, I stand 鈥� a retired navy man 鈥� sifting through the debris of what once passed for democracy. I am no politician. Duty and discipline kept me apart from the fevered pitch of slogans and street battles. Yet, I have always watched. As a citizen, as a soldier of the soil, as a son of this broken dream...
BACK in 2008 when the monarchy was overthrown in Nepal, a friend there excitedly exclaimed, 鈥楴ow we will have democracy!鈥� I tried to warn him that democracy does not just happen overnight; that it requires a lot of work and nurturing and then a lot more work...
DEMOCRACY is not merely a system of governance 鈥� it is the heartbeat of a free society, the framework upon which freedom of expression, individual rights and public participation are built. At its core, democracy thrives not in institutions alone, but in the active participation of its people 鈥� especially the youth. With their energy, idealism and innovation, young people...
The South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance in collaboration with the Private University Teachers鈥� Association of Bangladesh hosted a national seminar titled Democracy in Bangladesh: Crisis and Pathways Forward at the Syndicate Hall of North South University...
Bangladesh Nationalist Party chair Begum Khaleda Zia on Thursday hoped that democracy would soon be restored in Bangladesh, describing the goal as the party鈥檚 pledge on the occasion of Ziaur Rahman鈥檚 martyrdom anniversary.
Failing to satisfy citizens鈥� expectations of democracy leads to serious societal problems, including the intensification of conflict. This is a finding from research (a collaborative research with SOAS, University of London, exploring parliament and public engagement) that my colleagues and I conducted in Bangladesh from 2014 to 2017. In Bangladesh, the 2018 quota...
Stating that the country鈥檚 situation was being made complicated with various conditions and statements, Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday voiced doubt over whether the restoration of democracy...
Eminent citizens have said that democracy and political will can reduce the gap between the police and the force must be free from politicisation鈥�
The amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman at a programme in Dhaka on Monday called on the political parties to remain united for the sake of the national interests...
Founder of the Gonoforum and its emeritus president Dr Kamal Hossain on Sunday called on the political parties to cooperate with the interim government headed by Professor Muhammad Yunus for democratic transition of the country...
IN A functioning democracy, the justice system exists to uphold truth, safeguard the innocent and ensure the guilty are held to account. Yet in Bangladesh, the courts are not reliably the sanctuary they were once believed to be. The proliferation of false and fabricated legal cases for control, revenge or coercion 鈥� signals not just institutional dysfunction, but a deeper...
Speakers at a seminar on Saturday emphasised that Bangladesh鈥檚 future prosperity hinges on the strengthening of democratic practices, inclusive governance, and the creation of an equitable and discrimination-free society.
PLURALISM is a fundamental principle of liberal democracy, ensuring that diverse political parties, ideologies, and social groups coexist and actively participate in governance. The constitutional reform commission proposed key amendments to the preamble of the constitution, emphasising values such as equality, social justice, human dignity, and democracy...
EVERY nation faces moments that define its future, crossroads where it must decide whether to cling to a broken past or embrace the promise of transformation. Bangladesh stands at such a crossroad. The July mass uprising was more than a protest; it was a declaration that the people refuse to be silent...
Experts on Thursday urged to establish the Information Commission Bangladesh as an independent constitutional body to ensure its independence in strengthening democracy and accountability...
THE remark of an influential standing committee member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Salahuddin Ahmed, about the newly launched National Citizens鈥� Party鈥檚 pronounced objective of establishing a 鈥榮econd republic鈥� in Bangladesh was 鈥榗onspiratorial鈥� and was aimed at prolonging 鈥榰ndemocratic governance鈥� is misleading. Nahid Islam, the convener of the new party...
THE recent meeting of the National Consensus Commission, chaired by chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, represents a crucial step towards political reform in Bangladesh. This meeting convened leaders from six reform commissions alongside approximately 100 representatives from 27 political parties and alliances, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nagorik Committee...
SIX months ago, Bangladesh witnessed a historic transition 鈥� the fall of the Awami League鈥檚 16-year autocratic rule through the July revolution of 2024 and the formation of an interim government. The expectations from this government were immense, shaped by the sacrifices of the people who braved bullets, repression, and state-sponsored violence to restore...