Shifting Tides in South Asia: Bangladesh’s Failed Election

The 10th Parliamentary election in Bangladesh held on 5 January 2014 produced a parliament with opposition party. The election, boycotted by the main opposition party the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), delivered a two-thirds majority to the incumbent Awami League (AL). The election result and behavior of the ruling party both pre- and post- election indicates that the future for a multi-party inclusive democratic process in Bangladesh is facing a serious setback. This paper argues t hat since democratization process began in 1991 Bangladeshi politics revealed symptoms of hybrid regimes, but a non-inclusive flawed election is a step back from the democratization process and it may lead the country to a de facto one-party authoritarian state.