Tug-of-war over water lily continues
EC cites emblem rules; NCP warns it won’t join polls without desired symbol
22 October 2025, 18:19 PM
News Analysis / Consensus to reform: Will this one stick?
Most of the political parties have signed the much-discussed and long-awaited July National Charter -- a landmark document towards reshaping Bangladesh’s democracy and its institutions.
18 October 2025, 18:11 PM
Analysis / Reform by consensus, or another consensus to reform?
Most of the political parties have signed the much-discussed and long-awaited July National Charter
18 October 2025, 05:00 AM
Groundwork laid for sweeping constitutional reforms
The July National Charter, forged in the wake of the 2024 mass uprising, seeks to reshape Bangladesh’s constitution, as it proposes extensive reforms aimed at strengthening democracy and accountability.
17 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Reviving parliament, the heart of democracy
The July National Charter, born out of a compact among political parties, proposes a raft of constitutional reforms to reinvigorate Bangladesh’s parliament, which has remained weak and failed to function as an effective check on executive authority.
17 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Restoring caretaker system with more safeguards
Very few topics in Bangladesh’s political discourse have sparked as much debate or endured as long as the caretaker government system. To many, it represents not just a procedural framework but also a reliable means of conducting free and fair elections.
17 October 2025, 18:00 PM
The power tango between the PM and the president
Reforms ahead of the national election have been the most consistent pledge of the interim government. One of the core reforms, apart from reviving the caretaker government system, is to bring about a balance of power between the prime minister and the president.
17 October 2025, 18:00 PM
A dozen new laws for system reboot
It will require at least a dozen new laws and amendments to eight existing ones to implement the raft of proposals made in the July National Charter.
17 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Virus Curbs on Shops: Shop owners take to streets
Shop owners and employees of New Market, Bashundhara City Shopping Mall and Sadarghat areas in Dhaka took to the streets to protest the government’s decision to keep all shops and malls closed during the seven-day restriction to contain Covid-19 surge.
4 April 2021, 18:00 PM
Education Crisis in South Asia: Covid to cause $1 trillion losses
The prolonged closure of schools is causing an education crisis that may cost Bangladesh and other South Asian countries over $1 trillion in lost earnings in the long run, according to a World Bank report.
2 April 2021, 18:00 PM
Rise in Covid Cases: All local body polls postponed
The Election Commission yesterday postponed all elections, including the first phase of union parishad and sixth phase of municipality polls, due to a steep rise in coronavirus infections.
1 April 2021, 18:00 PM
33pc Positions for Women: Major parties not there yet
All major political parties have failed to meet the 2020 deadline of reserving at least 33 percent of all committee positions at local and national levels for women while the Election Commission is doing nothing about it.
8 March 2021, 18:00 PM
Polls to 230 Municipalities: AL wins 80pc mayor posts
The ruling Awami League has won 80 percent mayoral posts in 230 municipality polls held so far in five phases.
1 March 2021, 18:00 PM
Fifth phase municipality polls today
Twenty nine municipalities in 20 districts go to polls today amid worries over violence and confusion among many voters about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
27 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Colleges Under NU: Students protest exam deferral
Students across the country took to the streets demanding the continuation of ongoing and previously announced exams, protesting the authority’s decision to postpone ongoing exams.
25 February 2021, 18:00 PM
20 unives to hold uniform entry tests
Twenty public universities have decided to hold uniform admission tests, likely in June-July.
17 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Draft Education Act at Final Stage: Ban on guidebooks, corporal punishment
The education ministry is going to finalise the draft of the Education Act soon keeping a provision for imposing a ban on printing, publishing, and marketing notebooks and guidebooks.
16 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Appointment of CEC, ECs: No law in 49 long years
The country is yet to have a specific law for appointing chief election commissioner and election commissioners though there is a constitutional provision for enacting a law for their appointment.
14 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Municipality Polls Today: Many fear irregularities, violence
Fifty-five municipalities in 34 districts go to polls today amid worries over violence and confusion among many about being able to cast votes in a free and fair manner.
13 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Martyred Intellectuals: Govt finalises definition
Intellectuals who lost their lives at the hands of Pakistani army and their collaborators in the Liberation War will be defined as martyred intellectuals, according to a committee formed by the government.
10 February 2021, 18:00 PM
New EC Guideline: Controversial posts stay, pay rises too
The Election Commission has drafted a guideline for imparting training to polls-related officials, keeping in it controversial positions like “special speakers” and “course advisers” amid allegations of financial corruption through such posts.
10 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Elections to 4,300 union parishads could be delayed
Starting of staggered elections to over 4,300 union parishads (UP) might be delayed because of completion of final voter list and Ramadan.
4 February 2021, 18:00 PM
EVMs drew fewer voters than ballots
Voter turnout at municipalities that used Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were five percent lower than the turnout in municipalities that used ballot papers.
2 February 2021, 18:00 PM
Buet says no to uniform admission test
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology has decided not to join a cluster to hold a uniform admission test; rather it would enrol students through its own admission tests like previous years.
2 February 2021, 18:00 PM
From the archives: The last battlefield
Across the country, red-green flags were fluttering over buildings -- euphoria was in the air following the end of a nine-month-long bloody war.
30 January 2021, 18:00 PM
HSC, Equivalent: Stellar results in exams never held
A record-setting number of students got GPA 5 in last year’s HSC, thanks to the lack of actual exams and the results being reflections of each student’s grades in public exams held before the pandemic.
30 January 2021, 18:00 PM
HSC, equivalent results 2020: GPA 5 galore
A total of 1,61,807 students achieved GPA 5, the maximum grade point average, in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent results for 2020, over 3 times more than that of the previous year.
30 January 2021, 12:47 PM
Election today in 62 more municipalities
A total of 62 municipalities would go to polls today amid worries of violence.
29 January 2021, 18:00 PM