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History and Government
History: Bangladesh was formerly East Pakistan, a constituent of the original state of Pakistan created by the British in 1947 as part of the partitioning of Britain’s former Indian Empire. The two halves of the country were separated by more than 1000 miles of Indian territory, creating an almost certain recipe for political tension. Disputes over language and political power came to a head in 1970 when the pro-independence Awami League won an overwhelming majority in what turned out to be East Pakistan’s last general election. The Pakistani army blocked the Awami leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from taking up the premiership. The Awami leadership announced East Pakistan’s secession, after which the country was rapidly consumed by civil war. The war lasted for most of 1971 and was brought to an end by the intervention of India which forced Pakistan to surrender.
Political stability proved elusive as, during the next 20 years, the country was overtaken by a succession of military coups along with frequent impositions of martial law and states of emergency. However, since the beginning of the 1990s, civilians have controlled the Government. The main political parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Dal) are both – unusually for a Muslim country – led by women. The acrimonious rivalry between Awami leader Sheikha Hasina Wajed and BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia is a central feature of Bangladeshi politics. The elections of September 1996 gave victory to Sheikha Hasina and the Awami League; the most recent poll in September 2001 reversed the position, with Khaleda Zia securing a landslide victory for the BNP and its three smaller coalition partners.
Bangladesh’s geographical position and topography have always made it vulnerable to the regional climate, especially storms and flooding. Yet, by these standards, the damage wrought on the country during the last five years has been exceptional. The Government has consequently been forced to make repeated requests for aid from the international community.
Within the South Asia region Bangladeshi relations with Pakistan, normalised in 1976, have since been reasonably stable. However, there are unresolved disputes with both India and Myanmar. The latter mainly concerns Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya minority, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group who were expelled across the border en masse by the Myanmar junta during the early 1990s and now inhabit refugee camps around the Cox’s Bazar area. The Indian situation is more serious and involves several factors. First, a number of rebel groups are seeking regional autonomy operating in the Chittagong Hill Tracts from bases in Bangladeshi territory (although their campaign appears to have been suspended following negotiations with the Bangladeshi government). Second, there is a territorial dispute over a number of enclaves of Indian territory isolated inside Bangladesh. There have been several border clashes between security forces from the two countries, most recently in May 2001 when there were several casualties.
Government: After 16 years of presidential government, punctuated by spells of martial law, Bangladesh reverted to its original parliamentary system in August 1992 when constitutional amendments were approved by national referendum. Three hundred of the 330-member Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) are elected by adult suffrage; the remaining 30 seats are reserved for women and are selected by the other members. The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in the Jatiya Sangsad. Its members also elect the largely titular post of President, who is the Head of State.
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