ABSTRACT
In Bangladesh the word “politics” evokes intense discussion, emotive reactions and often heated debate. Members of this highly politicized society love discussing current affairs. Each and every Bangladeshi citizen has an opinion or two on all things political. Outsiders are not only baffled by these emotional reactions, but also find it difficult to follow the country's political processes, thanks to the mercurial and eventful nature of Bangladeshi governance since independence in 1971. The rise of Islamist politics in general and particularly Islamist militancy in Bangladesh also necessitates a thorough grounding in local political processes and party mechanisms. Mindful of this problem, I present an overview of Bangladeshi politics in this chapter. It is intended to serve as a background to the discussion on Islamist politics and Islamist militancy. I cover three aspects of Bangladeshi politics; first, a brief political history; second, party political processes, particularly their implications for elections; and third, the salient features of the political culture that influence the course of events. On 11 January 2007 after weeks of street agitation and violence, a state of emergency was declared and a new interim civilian administration was installed with the direct backing of the military. The events leading to and the developments after 11 January are briefly discussed in the fourth section.
