Bangladesh faces extended political crisis as doubts surface over Hasina’s resignation

Doubts persist over Sheikh Hasina’s formal resignation, which has sparked calls for fresh elections amid economic instability

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Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Photo: AP

Published: 6:30pm, 30 Oct 2024Updated: 7:25pm, 30 Oct 2024

Bangladesh faces political uncertainty regarding the possibility of fresh elections, as controversy mounts over whether fallen leader Sheikh Hasina formally resigned after fleeing the country.

Hasina left for India on August 5 as student protests toppled her 15-year rule, which was marked by accusations of election rigging and human rights violations. Last week, a student group demanded the resignation of the country’s figurehead president, Mohammed Shahabuddin, after he suggested Hasina had not officially stepped down.

Shahabuddin told a Bengali-language newspaper he had not seen Hasina’s resignation letter, seemingly contradicting his own address to the nation on August 5. His statement angered student activists as well as the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Analysts are split over whether the controversy indicates a constitutional crisis and the feasibility of fresh elections, but agree that law and order must be restored quickly.

“Unless there is a formal letter of resignation by Hasina to the president to relieve her of her duties, she would remain as the de facto prime minister. It’s a constitutional crisis which is brewing in Bangladesh,” said Priyajit Debsarkar, a British-based author and an expert on Bangladesh.

If fresh elections were to be held, then the constitution might have to be amended by the parliament where Hasina’s party the Awami League had a majority, he added.