•What is the current political situation in Bangladesh?

Following the imposition of Emergency by President Iajuddin Ahmed on January 11, 2007, a caretaker government led by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, a former Central Bank Governor, has taken over the administration. It is backed by the army, donor countries like the United Kingdom and a considerable section of the population that is tired of two corrupt parties that have alternately been in power from 1991 to 2006—the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League (AL) and Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). A deliberate attempt is made to maintain the façade of a civilian administration, but in practice, it is army chief General Moeen U. Ahmed who calls the shots.

•What led to the current crisis?

Bangladesh has an unusual electoral setup, where the ruling government has to be replaced by a caretaker administration before general elections can be held. The run-up to the elections scheduled for January 22, 2007, however, saw large-scale violence on the streets, prompting AL chief Sheikh Hasina to decry the ‘partisan’ attitude of Iajuddin Ahmed’s caretaker government and announce an election boycott. Elections were postponed indefinitely, with the caretaker government setting a lofty aim of weeding out corruption and ensuring a level playing field before the normal democratic process is revived.

In May 2008, the government announced that general elections were to be held in the third week of December, without specifying a date. It has launched electoral dialogue to restore democracy in the country, and announced plans to hold local council elections for four city corporations and nine municipalities on August 4, a move criticised by the political parties as unconstitutional, though they are said to fear an erosion of support base in the local polls.

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