democracy

A cautionary tale of political transformation in Bangladesh

Beyond the constitutionally recognised political parties, there exists an invisible yet influential force in society: the “Comfort Party.”

The need for smart election observation

The return of multi-party democracy would be the first step necessary to reset Bangladesh’s embittered political culture.

Democracy in the digital age: Lessons from Bangladesh and beyond

The internet, once a mere repository of information, has evolved into the most formidable arena for political engagement.

Abul Mansur Ahmad’s 46th death anniversary / His lament was the unfulfilled promise of democracy

Following autocracy's fall, debates on the constitution, elections, & democracy intensify, echoing Abul Mansur Ahmad's insights.

Why Bangladesh needs deliberative democracy now

The July Revolution of 2024 marks Bangladesh's shift toward deliberative democracy.

Democracy ends where leadership begins

The Daily Star analysis of 25 political parties

From crisis to change: The right education can sustain the revolution

Standing on the isthmus of change, we must avoid any form of myopia.

You have crushed fascism, now strengthen democracy and press freedom

The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam's appeal to the ‘new generation leaders’

We must build a foundation for genuine democracy

Democracy cannot operate as a simple majority steamroller, as we also saw in the early days of our independence.

May 23, 2018
May 23, 2018

Forster's third democratic cheer: Mahathir (as a symbol)?

EM Forster, almost a lone-wolf democracy crusader between the two world wars, confronted as unpalatable a European playground as many African, Asian, and Latin American countries striving to convince others of their democratic claims face today: an uphill battle in which the institutionalised forces against democracy, such as extreme rightists/leftists and militarism, were usually at least as strong as those

May 12, 2018
May 12, 2018

Iraq holds first nationwide election since IS defeat

Iraq began voting Saturday in its first parliamentary election since declaring victory over the Islamic State (IS) group, with the country hoping to shore up a fragile peace and rebuild.

May 9, 2018
May 9, 2018

Malaysians vote in cliffhanger election as politicians say phones jammed

Malaysian politicians from both government and opposition camps complains of "dirty tricks" after voting in a general election begins on Wednesday, as non-stop spam calls to their mobile phones disruptes communications with party organisers.

May 6, 2018
May 6, 2018

Polls open in Lebanon's first general election in 9yrs

Polling booths open in Lebanon today for the country's first parliamentary election in nine years, a period marked by stretches of political paralysis and war in neighbouring Syria.

March 22, 2018
March 22, 2018

Democracy 'in danger'

The BNP yesterday presented a “grim picture of the country's democracy” before around a dozen foreign diplomats in Dhaka.

March 5, 2018
March 5, 2018

'In a democracy, you must learn to tolerate'

The above quote is a strong and clear manifestation of the Indian Supreme Court's endeavour to protect rights of the media as it recently announced that freedom of speech and expression of the media must be allowed to the fullest and the press may not be hauled up for defamation for “some errors” in its reporting.

November 22, 2017
November 22, 2017

The democracy vs development debate

A dichotomy can be defined as the presence of two alternatives that are jointly exhaustive (only these two alternatives, and no more than these two, exist) and mutually exclusive (the existence of each alternative excludes the other).

November 4, 2017
November 4, 2017

Putting democracy at the heart of our common future

The theme of the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)—“Towards a Common Future”—was announced recently by British Prime Minister Theresa May on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly Meeting in New York.

September 16, 2017
September 16, 2017

News Analysis: An inconceivable resolution by JS

This is inconceivable in modern democracy that the parliament passes a resolution to nullify a supreme court verdict. But our Parliament unanimously did it on Wednesday, setting a unique example.

November 5, 2016
November 5, 2016

Putting democracy above the bottom line

Democracy advocates in civil society and government have managed to push back against global corporations, but much of their progress hangs in the balance this month.