Bangladesh can break its cycle of failed democratic transitions, but it needs to change the “rules of the game” and rebuild institutions rather than merely hold elections, political scientist Ali Riaz said today.
“The election is only one step,” said Riaz, distinguished professor of politics and government at Illinois State University.
He said the latest political transition would depend on whether institutions such as the Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, judiciary and civil administration could function independently.
He was speaking at a session titled “Can Bangladesh Break the Cycle?” at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 in Dhaka.
He said Bangladesh had repeatedly failed to build institutions capable of sustaining democracy, with power remaining concentrated and anti-reform forces entrenched within the system.
He said the problem went beyond political interference in the bureaucracy, as successive governments sought a subservient administration, while some bureaucrats were also willing to become politicised.
He described the 2024 uprising as “a rejection of the political parties in this country”, but said political parties later “recaptured the space”.
Asked whether Bangladesh could break the cycle, Riaz said it was too early to conclude that it could not.
“I am optimistic,” he said, adding that the outcome would depend on whether political forces were willing to change the system.
He said Bangladesh needed an independent judiciary and Election Commission, as well as constitutional and institutional changes to address the concentration of power in the executive.
Riaz also cited Bangladesh’s geopolitical position as a challenge for the next government, particularly its relations with India and the wider strategic competition involving India, China and the United States.
Sreeradha Dutta, professor at OP Jindal Global University, India, and Michael Lidauer, senior international adviser at the European Partnership for Democracy, Germany, also spoke at the session.
Courtesy: https://www.thedailystar.net
