Students now plan new party to solidify Gen Z revolution
Student demonstrators who ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are rejecting calls for quick elections from Bangladesh’s two main political parties and are considering forming their own party to solidify reforms.
Their goal, as reported by Reuters, is to avoid a repeat of the last 15 years, during which Hasina ruled with an iron fist.
The protests, organised in June by students mostly in their early-to-mid 20s, began in response to a law reserving coveted government jobs for certain segments of the population.
The movement quickly gained momentum, fueled by widespread anger over the government's brutal crackdown on protesters, which left at least 300 people dead—the largest outbreak of violence since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.
This Gen Z-led movement, driven by frustrations over jobless growth, allegations of kleptocracy, and shrinking civil liberties, culminated in the establishment of an interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, with two student leaders in senior positions.
Student leaders like Mahfuj Alam, who chairs a committee connecting the government with social groups, are discussing forming a new political party to break this duopoly. Mahfuj, a 26-year-old law student, told Reuters that they plan to consult widely with citizens before deciding on a platform.
"People are really tired of the two political parties. They have trust in us," Mahfuj said.
Tahmid Chowdhury, a 24-year-old student coordinator, echoed this sentiment, noting there was a "high chance" they would form a party rooted in secularism and free speech.
"We don't have any other plan that could break the binary without forming a party," said the 24-year-old graduate student in world religion.
The student leaders, now part of the interim government, have not yet detailed their policy goals beyond institutional reforms, such as overhauling the electoral commission appointed by Hasina.
"The spirit of the movement was to create a new Bangladesh, one where no fascist or autocrat can return," said Nahid Islam, a key protest organiser who now holds a cabinet position under Yunus.
The interim government, however, is not considering calls from the Awami League and BNP for early elections, focusing instead on structural reforms. This regime change has already led to the removal of key officials seen as complicit in the previous government's crackdown on students.
Yunus' de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain told Reuters the students had not discussed their political plans with the technocrats. But he added: "the political scenario is going to change because we have basically excluded the young generation from politics."
Yunus, who has expressed no interest in holding elected office, wields significant moral authority.
However, doubts remain about the potential achievements of his administration. As Shahdeen Malik, a constitutional expert, noted, "We are totally in uncharted waters, both legally and politically."
