The 2024 Bangladesh election, which delivered a predictable victory to the Bangladesh Awami League and ensured the fourth consecutive term of Sheikh Hasina, has been described in public discourse in Bangladesh as a 'dummy election.'
The election was characterized with machination, intrigue, coercion, enticement, and wanton use of state apparatuses. How was this essentially uncontested election designed? How did the events unfold leading to the election?
What does it mean for the future of the country? The Charade: Bangladesh's 2024 Election compiles commentaries which answer these questions, offer perceptive analyses of these events, and highlight the roles of various actors.
As the country's politics was spiraling downwards towards a personalized autocratic system in the past year, these essays repeatedly raised alarm bells which are more pertinent today.