Episode 311: The 2026 Bangladesh Elections and Referendum

In this episode, we dive into Bangladesh’s February 12 elections and referendum—a pivotal moment that brought a familiar party back to power while calling for deep structural change. The central question is whether a status-quo political force can carry forward an agenda born out of anti-establishment protest, and what this means for Bangladesh’s democratic trajectory. To discuss this unfolding situation, Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS-NUS is in conversation with Professor Asif M. Shahan, Professor, Department of Development Studies, Dhaka University and Senior Research Fellow, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development. They discuss the expectations around institutional reforms, the fragmented political landscape in the country, issues of inclusion and representation and the foreign policy challenges.