Geopolitics
Bangladesh's 2026 Election: A Crucible for Democratic Hope or Authoritarian Entrenchment
The February 2026 election in Bangladesh, under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, will decide if the country can institutionalize the fragile hope from the 2024 student-led uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina's 15-year electoral authoritarian regime. This pivotal moment starkly reveals the grim reality that entrenching authoritarianism is tragically easier than restoring democracy, a painful lesson echoed from Venezuela to Belarus.
