How inclusive is Bangladesh's democratic restart?

Months after ousting Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is looking forward to fresh elections, which will produce a new government that could take over from the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.

The interim leader and Nobel Prize winner has pledged to conduct "vital reforms" and then hold a free, fair and inclusive vote in the South Asian country.

But despite pledges of inclusivity, many Bangladeshis are deeply angry with Hasina's Awami League (AL) and oppose the prospect of it simply rejoining the country's politics as any other major party.

Hasina's opponents blame the ousted leader for the deadly violence that claimed hundreds of lives earlier this year.

At least some members of the interim Cabinet seem to share this sentiment. The Yunus-led government is still engaged in dialogue with major parties to ensure a fair election, but said it would exclude groups it labels "fascist" or allied with such factions.

In October, the chief adviser's office of the interim government announced that authorities would prevent the AL and similar parties from engaging in political activities. Later, the chief adviser's special assistant said they would put obstacles in front of Hasina's party, and in late October, the Yunus government banned the AL's youth wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, and labeled it a "terrorist organization." 

Interim leaders pressured from all sides

Yunus' government rests on a wide but fragile alliance of various political parties, minority groups and student protesters who bore the brunt of the political violence. With the election date yet to be determined, they can ill afford to alienate any part of their base, especially the masses that pushed out the Hasina government.

The scope of the anti-AL anger was highlighted once again when the office of their coalition partner, the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, was set on fire in late October. And this weekend, activists of the BNP party — the AL's main rival — joined supporters of Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party and student protesters in violently preventing an AL rally in Dhaka.

At the same time, however, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir criticized the signals coming from the interim government about banning Hasina's party.

"Why exclude the Awami League from the elections if we genuinely aim for democracy?" he asked.

Does Yunus speak for the people?

Political scientist Sabbir Ahmed told DW that the interim government was interpreting terms like "level playing field for fair elections" in ways that serve its own interests.

"This government, having taken power without a popular mandate, does not represent the will of the people," he told DW, pointing out that the July-August uprising was largely urban-focused.

"Regardless of what the interim government claims, it cannot establish a democratic environment for fair electoral competition if it excludes the Awami League," he added.

AL eager to move forward

Unsurprisingly, Hasina's allies also oppose the statements hinting at their ban. Former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told DW that AL was eager to cooperate with other political parties to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy, adding that Bangladesh must eliminate politics of hatred, denial, and revenge .

He also accused the interim government of delaying the election without adequate justification, seemingly aiming to retaliate against the AL.

"Excluding the Awami League — which is backed by almost half of the population — from the election would not attract an inclusive process," he added. "Such an election would likely face rejection from both the public and the international community."

Germany wants an investigation, then reconciliation

Meanwhile, signals from outside Bangladesh also seem to indicate a desire for internal rapprochement. Last week, German Ambassador Achim Tröster told The Daily Star, a Bangladeshi English-language newspaper, that reconciliation would be necessary for a peaceful future.

"What it needs is to change one's mind and to cast away the shadows of a bloody and revengeful past," he said.

At the same time, he acknowledged that reconciliation would not be possible without investigating and acknowledging the truth regarding the deadly unrest.

"In order to achieve reconciliation, we need to hear the word sorry and an apology for the crimes and mistakes that have been committed. I may be wrong, but so far, I unfortunately have not heard it here," Tröster said.

The head of the center-right Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Andaleeve Rahman, also told DW that AL owes an apology to the public.

"Hasina's party is facing a leadership crisis and can only move forward in politics if they acknowledge their responsibility and express remorse for the deaths that occurred during the July-August revolution," he said.

Commenting on the recent arson of the political office of the Jatiya Party, he described it as unacceptable but said Hasina's allies deserved the public backlash they are currently facing, as they, too, have betrayed the people.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru