Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz was interviewed by the The Diplomat magazine on the future of Bangladesh’s politics after the recently held controversial election. The magazine noted that the election on January 7 was heavily stage-managed, with true opposition parties targeted with arrests while “dummy” candidates were brought in to give the veneer of competition.
Riaz told The Diplomat’s Editor-in-Chief Shannon Tiezzi that “public reactions to this state-managed saga have been remarkably muted,” because the Bangladeshi public long ago became resigned to such a result. Besides, the government has created an environment of fear where citizens are afraid of being persecuted.
Despite the dark times, Riaz emphasized that the future of Bangladesh’s politics is still being written: “If the opposition can realize that the country is now entering the era of one-party rule, it is incumbent on them to come together to face it. The current trajectory is not destiny.”