Bangladesh to Unveil Democratic Reforms on Uprising Anniversary

Bangladesh’s interim government announced on Saturday that it will unveil a comprehensive package of democratic reforms on August 5, marking one year since the student-led revolution that toppled the country's longtime autocratic ruler.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people has faced political instability since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown on August 5, 2024, following weeks of mass protests driven by students and civil society.

Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, now serving as the chief adviser of the caretaker government, said he took over a "completely broken down" system of public administration and pledged to restore democratic governance.

Yunus had previously promised to unveil a “big package” of reforms aimed at strengthening democratic institutions. His government now plans to present the "July Proclamation", a roadmap for political and electoral renewal, on the anniversary of the revolution.

“The July Proclamation will be presented to the nation... in the presence of all political parties involved in the mass uprising,” Yunus’s office stated.

Efforts to reach broad political consensus have been slow, with rival factions competing for influence ahead of elections expected in early 2026. Yunus has cautioned that power struggles threaten to undo progress made since the revolution.

On July 29, he emphasized the need to “build a broad national consensus around a renewed political system — one that delivers inclusive, participatory, and credible elections.”

The former regime, under Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, was widely criticized for widespread human rights abuses, including mass arrests, extrajudicial killings, and the politicization of the judiciary and civil service. Her government was accused of orchestrating sham elections and dismantling key democratic checks and balances.

Hasina, now 77, fled to India in the wake of the uprising and has since defied Bangladeshi court orders related to ongoing trials on charges amounting to crimes against humanity.

The revolution began with university students demanding reforms to the public sector job quota system on July 1, 2024. Protests intensified over the weeks and culminated in the storming of Hasina’s official residence on August 5, as she fled by helicopter.