Bangladeshs Reforms Face Uncertainty Amid Student-Led Protests

Bangladesh Parliament Cancels Reforms Introduced After 2024 Student-Led Uprising

A new parliament in Bangladesh has cancelled or rolled back several reforms introduced after the 2024 student-led uprising aimed at increasing government accountability. The reforms, which were part of a package of 133 ordinances issued by the interim government following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have raised concerns among opposition parties and civil society groups.

The parliament, dominated by the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, reviewed the ordinances in recent days and found that at least 23 had either been repealed or allowed to lapse. These reforms included measures on human rights, judicial oversight, anticorruption, and policing.

According to official data, 110 of the ordinances were approved, while 23 lost legal validity due to a lack of parliamentary approval within the constitutional timeframe. The cancelled reforms include laws related to the National Human Rights Commission, enforced disappearances, judicial appointments, Supreme Court administration, police reform, and anticorruption measures.

The government claims that it is undertaking a necessary legislative review to correct flaws and reintroduce more robust laws after consultation. However, opposition parties and analysts describe the move as a rollback of core safeguards agreed upon after the uprising.

Protests have been staged by opposition alliances, with warnings of a nationwide movement. Analysts say the dispute reflects a deeper struggle over the direction of Bangladesh’s political transition, unfolding both inside parliament and on the streets.

The 2024 student-led uprising brought down Hasina’s government following years of criticism over governance, suppression of dissent, systemic enforced disappearances, and human rights abuses. The interim administration led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge and signed a National Charter outlining reforms on judicial independence, human rights, elections, and decentralization.

The charter was endorsed in a nationwide referendum alongside the February 2026 election, with about 70 percent support. However, with parliament dissolved after Hasina’s ouster, the Yunus administration could not turn these reform proposals into full-fledged laws. Instead, it issued dozens of ordinances across sectors, many aligned with the charter.

The dispute highlights a struggle over the direction of Bangladesh’s political transition, with implications for the country’s democratic gains and institutional reforms.

Source: Al Jazeera