Two Years After Hasina's Fall, Bangladesh's Reform Agenda Stalls
Two years after a student-led uprising toppled the regime of Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power for almost 16 years, there are growing concerns that Bangladesh is backsliding. While Hasina now lives in exile in India and plans to return to Bangladesh in December, critics argue the current government has failed to deliver on its reform promises, plunging the country’s political future back into uncertainty.
“Ultimately, we have not seen the elimination of discrimination, the realisation of an inclusive society, or the new political order that was promised,” Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, a professor of international relations at the University of Dhaka, told DW. “It seems we are forgetting the main reasons behind the July uprising, especially those now in power.”
The protest movement began in 2018 over a controversial quota system for government jobs. In 2024, a court-backed move to reinstate part of that system triggered a fresh wave of demonstrations that escalated into a broader anti-government uprising. In August 2024, after more than 1,000 people were killed in the unrest, then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India.
The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus and backed by the military and key figures from the uprising, facilitated the signing of a reform roadmap called the “July Charter.” In a February 2026 referendum, around 70% of voters approved the charter, which proposed prime ministerial term limits, the creation of an upper house of parliament, stronger presidential powers, and greater judicial independence. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a landslide majority in the general election held concurrently with the referendum.
However, critics say the BNP has since failed to implement several of its pre-election reform commitments. Ali Riaz, who headed the Constitutional Reform Commission under the interim government, stated there were “time-bound commitments,” including the formation of a constitutional reform council and measures to implement reforms within 180 working days. “That was not done,” he said, calling the failure “highly regrettable.”
The interim government had introduced 133 ordinances as part of its reform agenda, but after the BNP came to power, the party refused to pass 20 of them, including measures related to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Anti-Corruption Commission, enforced disappearances, and the referendum. The BNP argued that constitutional and institutional changes must be passed through proper legislative procedures in Parliament.
Asif Mahmud, a prominent figure in the uprising who served as an adviser in the interim government before resigning ahead of the national election, accused the BNP of “betraying the public” on its reform pledges. “The BNP is taking the country backwards by revoking the ordinances and reforms that were put in place by the interim government,” he said.
One of the most serious allegations against Hasina’s administration was enforced disappearances. A commission formed by the interim government reported that out of 1,913 complaints received, 1,569 were verified and classified as cases of enforced disappearance. In an effort to prevent future violations, Bangladesh signed the UN Convention against Enforced Disappearance in August 2024, and the interim government introduced an ordinance to criminalise the practice. However, instead of seeking parliamentary approval for the ordinance, the BNP-led government published a new draft bill in July 2026. Critics say the proposed legislation weakens legal protections by shifting investigative authority over such cases.