After months of violence, street protests and political upheaval, Bangladesh now faces its moment of reckoning. What began in July 2024 as a student agitation over public sector job quotas quickly spiralled into a nationwide revolt against Sheikh Hasina’s government, culminating in her resignation and flight to India. The unrest left more than 1,000 people dead and dismantled a political order that was entrenched in Dhaka’s politics for over a decade.
Now, on February 12, Bangladesh votes in its first general election since that uprising, a ballot that will test not only the strength of its democracy but the direction of its national identity.
