by Habib Zafarullah:

BANGLADESH is at a turning point in its journey towards democracy. There are big decisions that need to be made that will sculpt its political future. In the last 16 years, big problems with the election system came to light. What should have been happy celebrations of political choices turned into things that made people lose trust over time. Between 2014 and 2024, the country’s elections lost more and more of their credibility. The pillars of free and fair elections were openly attacked by members of the ruling party, which scared voters, tampered with votes, and spread false information. Each compromised election acted like a slow poison, turning what should be celebrations of people’s power into hollow rituals. Citizens who once saw their vote as a tool for change viewed it as a prop in someone else’s political theatre — a transformation that played out in millions of disillusioned hearts, one broken promise at a time.

Democracy is a living, breathing entity whose heartbeat echoes in the footsteps of voters walking to polling stations. True democracy craves more than the simple motion of dropping paper into boxes — it thirsts for the animated discussions in tea stalls where neighbours debate policies, for the electric energy of campaign rallies where hope fills the air, for the quiet courage of citizens who dare to raise their voices against injustice. But when fear replaces freedom, when whispers replace open debate, democracy’s pulse weakens. In Bangladesh, that heartbeat grew faint during autocratic rule.

Bangladesh’s political archives hold a tested solution hiding in plain sight. The caretaker government system defined an era when elections meant something real. If we look at the evidence, 1996, 2001, and 2008 were years when democracy breathed almost freely. Citizens walked to polling stations without fear. Global monitors confirmed what people already knew — these were genuine elections, not performances. The world paid attention, and Bangladeshis trusted their votes. These mattered.

This wasn’t luck or coincidence. The caretaker governments worked by solving a basic problem: keeping power players away from the referee’s whistle. With electoral control in independent hands, elections changed from rigged games to real contests where ideas and vision determined winners. The system acted as democracy’s guardian, letting voters — not party machines — choose their future.

However, the problem Bangladesh is facing now calls for more than merely bringing back the caretaker government system. It needs to be rethought and given a bigger role. Bangladesh should retain its five-year government term, which is the norm in many stable democracies around the world. However, the caretaker government should have more power than just 90 days. This increased timespan is very important because past events showed an unsettling difference: national elections held under the caretaker governments usually followed democratic rules, but local and by-election polls held by elected governments were often rigged by partisans.

The best way to move forward is to make big changes that would give future caretaker governments control over all aspects of the election process. This would ensure that both national and local elections are fair. This combined monitoring would close the historical gap and stop politicians at any level of government from misusing state resources for their own political gain. Bangladesh might want to follow the more advanced European approach to filling vacant spots in parliament, which is for the next qualified individual from the same party to take the job, without further election. This method would not only speed up the process but also avoid the problems that come with by-elections — intimidation and manipulation.

To put these changes into action, there needs to be careful planning and a clear timeline. Parliament should be dissolved 10 days before the end of its five-year term, and the election results should be confirmed 15 days before the end of a caretaker government’s term. This planned change ensures consistency while supporting democratic essentials. It is important for caretaker governments to have enough time to review voter lists, train election workers, set up security measures, and make sure the voting process is fair and open to everyone.

Some critics bristle at the idea of not holding elections while a government is in power because they think it goes against the natural flow of democracy. But Bangladesh’s politics tell a powerful story: when ruling parties run elections, power corrupts the very systems that are meant to keep it in check. The math behind Bangladesh’s democracy shows a harsh truth: the fear of institutions falling apart under political governments is much greater than the short-term restrictions of change. The country’s democracy needs a period of carefully managed recovery to get back to being healthy. There is a lot of proof that each election run by the Awami League damaged the electoral system, which is why change is not only a good idea but also necessary.

However, changing the way elections work in Bangladesh will require a complex interplay of several forces. Leaders from all sides of the political spectrum need to get past their partisan emotions and work together to make change happen. Every step of this democracy rebirth must be closely watched by everyone in civil society, from everyday workers to concerned academics. This isn’t just toying with institutions; it needs to be done with surgical accuracy by changing the DNA of the constitution and the way elections work. The people who watch over the ballot boxes need to know more than just how things work. They also need to be wise enough to find the right mix between power and fairness. At the same time, citizens need to go from being silent spectators to active designers of their political future, fully aware of their rights and duties in this new election landscape.

The time of half-measures and small incremental changes is buried in the graves of Bangladesh’s failed attempts at democracy. The country needs nothing less than democratic magic right now — a basic change that goes right to the heart of interim government. It’s not about fixing holes in a system that isn’t working; it’s about rethinking how political speech works in general. The plan we have in front of us goes to uncharted ground, but its success depends on a big shift in how people think about politics. Power makers need to do something very democratic: they need to put the purity of the vote above the allure of party benefit. Like master makers who are thinking about fixing up a temple that is falling apart, Bangladesh’s political builders need to understand that each part of the whole needs to make sacrifices to stay together.

Bangladesh teeters on democracy’s threshold, facing a clear choice: a breakdown of the system or a chance for renewal through the ballot box. The choices we make now will affect future generations, calling for a change in how we think about democracy. This change focuses on the sanctity of the voting booth — we need to strike a balance between power and principle. Voting centres should be sanctified places where everyone can register their choices and write the future of their country.

The constitutional and electoral reform commissions have now shared their ideas. Now comes the crucial test: how will these proposals connect with stakeholders, especially the citizens who are the foundation of our democracy? Their answer could finally open the door to a democratic future that has been just out of reach for a long time.

Dr Habib Zafarullah is adjunct professor of public policy at the University of New England, Australia, and former professor of public administration at Dhaka University. He is the founding president of the South Asian Network for Public Administration.