Democracy and Elections in Bangladesh Understanding the Institutional Challenges

Abstract

Free and fair elections are instrumental for democracy, democratic culture and effective democratic institutions. Elected government is key for establishing the foundations of democracy and democractic consolidation. Nevertheless, the crucial feature of electoral democracy is the peaceful transfer of power through free and fair elections. This paper is a systematic attempt to examine the responsible institution for free and fair election in bangladesh. In this study, we took three types of institution: Constitutional institution- The Election Commission; Political institution-Political parties; and Social institution- Media; to explore the challenges of democracy in Bangladesh. In doing so, this study examines the context of national elections in Bangladesh and analyzes the results of national elections held under caretaker governments and interim governments. The paper also describes the debate between Awami League and BNP over the caretaker government for the upcoming 2023 elections. This study is qualitative in nature and data is collected from secondary Sources.