What kind of a government does Bangladesh have? Who is in charge and why? When did this begin, and of whom should we be afraid this time around?
The phase that led to Bangladesh's current crisis began last January, when the electoral term of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, under Khaleda Zia, came to an end, and preparations for the general elections began. This is one of the world's few countries in which a special non-political interim government, the so-called neutral caretaker government, is put in place to supervise national elections. Since no one trusts anyone (especially incumbents) in such matters, this is considered the most practical solution.
The caretaker government is supposed to be headed by the last retired chief justice of the Supreme Court, and is assisted by a cabinet of non-politicians recommended by the two main parties, the BNP and the Awami League. Technically, this government is entrusted with the limited task of holding a credible election. The practice of the installation of such an entity began in 1990 when, after the victorious mass movement against the rule of General Hossain Mohammed Ershad, activists suddenly found themselves without a government to hold an election.
While three earlier elections have been successfully held under the caretaker system – in 1990, 1996 and 2001 – this time, things went sour. The opposition, led by the Awami League, which had previously agitated for reforms to the caretaker formula, refused to accept Khaleda Zia's nomination of Justice K M Hasan as 'Chief Adviser' for the caretaker government (the chief adviser functions as the interim prime minister), on the grounds that he had once been a member of the BNP.