DEMOCRACY is not only about elections, parliaments or written constitutions. Its strength lies in truth, trust and accountability. But in today鈥檚 digital world, the values are under a serious threat. The fast spread of false information, driven by social media, online echo chambers and artificial intelligence, has made it hard to know what true is. This raises an urgent question: can truth survive in a world ruled by algorithms?..
German ambassador to Bangladesh R眉diger Lotz on Thursday said the upcoming elections was a major initiative towards the path of democracy for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday said that the European Union was keen to support the institutionalisation of democracy in Bangladesh, strengthen parliamentary effectiveness and reinforce the independence of the country鈥檚 democratic institutions...
The Commonwealth Youth Awards have introduced a new category this year to recognise young journalists and communicators whose work contributes to advancing democracy, peace and community development through fearless reporting and creativity...
Politicians at a dialogue hosted by the Centre for Governance Studies on Thursday highlighted the need for reforms within the political parties to accommodate youths and women in inclusive democracy.
UNLESS there is some major political upheaval, the general election for the national parliament is expected to take place in February next year. The chief adviser to the interim government has repeatedly given assurances to this effect in his speeches, which is...
I WORE the uniform for more than three decades. Now, whispers turn to shouts, and I hear the derogatory term, 鈥楰ochukheti,鈥� hurled at my peers, as if we alone are to blame for every grand failure born of their ineptitude. With this new combat, this so-called...
THE struggle for democracy in Bangladesh constitutes one of the most compelling political narratives in South Asia. Emerging from the Liberation War of 1971 which was a conflict rooted in demands for political rights, self-determination, equality and...
IN THE grand arena of democracy, intellectuals were meant to be a chorus 鈥� offering commentary, warning of hubris, and speaking uncomfortable truths to both audience and actors alike. Edward Said captured this essential function by describing intellectuals as...
A three-member delegation from Democracy International, led by its chief of party Catherine Cecilie, paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday evening.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday said that the visiting European Union delegation had emphasised the need for a swift return of democracy through timely elections in Bangladesh...
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...
