Bangladesh, April 10 -- Over five decades since independence, Bangladesh has made significant progress across various economic and social indicators, but it has fallen short of its desired development due to repeated disruptions in democratic governance.

Bangladesh has held 13 national parliamentary elections -- 1973, 1979, 1986, 1988, 1991, Feb 1996, Jun 1996, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2024 and 2026 -- since its independence in 1971, but the number of genuinely contested democratic elections is very few.

According to local and international observers, the national election Bangladesh held on Feb 12, 2016 was peaceful and the most-fair as it was in 1991, earning a largely positive global image.

Yet, people had concerns regarding peace o...