Bangladesh Political System
Although often marred in dysfunction, corruption, and strife; the Bangladesh government stands as one of the only democratically elected Muslin countries in the world. The political system functions as a parliamentary democracy that holds open elections for all citizens over 18 years of age. While the political system continues to adapt, Bangladesh still operates under its original constitution signed after their 1971 independence.
Every five years, the 345-member Bangladesh unicameral parliament opens for free elections with a political system in place that reserves 45 seats for women. The controlling party then votes for the President, the largely symbolic head of Bangladesh. Following the presidential election, the individual selects a Prime Minister from the parliamentary body to assume the most prominent position of the Bangladesh political system. The Prime Minister then selects his cabinet members and ministers to be appointed by the President.
The Bangladesh political system consists of two main parties lending this type of unicameral representation to constant political posturing. For one reason or another, the two main political parties seem to cede or gain power every five years, causing the majority party to control nearly the entire political system. The post-election focus of Bangladesh leaders becomes payback for the previous five years of oppressive rule, instead of harboring national unity. The newly oppressed minority lash out at the controlling party appealing to public sentiment and solidifying their base. Since the winning party controls the entire Bangladesh political system, there are no doctrinal necessities for working with the other party. An interesting nuance to Bangladesh’s transfer of power, a precursory transfer to a civil body after a five-year term, reduces the chance for electoral fraud and upholds the integrity of the larger political system.
Bangladesh became a sovereign country in 1971, whereby defeating West Pakistan, they enacted their political system the following year. The Constitution of Bangladesh contains 11 articles that develop not just the Bangladesh political system but the nation’s core political ideology. Since the signing of the Constitution, the document underwent 14 amendments that attempted to strengthen the political system and its ability to govern. Even with the uprisings and political strife, the nation has held together under the 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh till today besides an 8 year military rule in the 1980s.
Winston Churchill famously stated that “democracy is the worst form of government, besides all the others.” This is not to say Bangladesh should accept corruption and dissidence, but rather, understand that the democratic political system has no end result. It requires each generation to evaluate the political system and reinvent it as necessary. In this light, the Bangladesh political system continues as a work in progress that appears stronger today than ever before.