DHAKA (Reuters) -Student demonstrators who ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have rejected calls from Bangladesh’s two main political parties for quick elections and are considering creating their own party to cement in place reforms, according to interviews with four protest leaders. Bangladesh student protesters have gained significant support from various youth movements across the country. #BangladeshStudentProtesters
Their hope: to avoid a repeat of the last 15 years, in which Hasina ruled the country of some 170 million with an iron fist.
In June, a group of students in their early-to-mid 20s began organizing protests against a law reserving government jobs. They opposed the policy that allocated coveted positions to specific population segments.
Within weeks, Hasina’s government faced intense backlash due to the brutal crackdown on anti-quota protesters. The violence resulted in at least 300 deaths. This marked the deadliest event since Bangladesh’s independence war in 1971.
The movement was seen as a Gen Z revolution, driven by young Bangladeshis’ frustration with jobless growth and shrinking civil liberties. Allegations of kleptocracy further fueled their anger.
An interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus – which includes two student leaders in senior positions – now runs the country.
For most of the last three decades, Bangladesh has been led by either Hasina’s Awami League or Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Both Hasina and Zia are in their 70s.
Student leaders are considering forming a political party to break the duopoly, according to Mahfuj Alam. Alam chairs a committee connecting the government with social groups like teachers and activists. #BangladeshStudentProtesters
Finally, the Bangladesh student protesters are determined to sustain their momentum. By forming a party, they hope to influence future elections and ensure that their revolution leads to tangible results.
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