Despite widespread aspirations for structural reforms, uncertainty and challenges continue to cloud people’s implementation in the post-election phase, speakers said at a dialogue organised by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) on Wednesday.

The speakers cautioned that without firm political commitment and citizen participation, reform agendas risk remaining confined to policy papers rather than translating into real change.

“I have not heard the two main alliances clearly articulate how they will implement reforms,” said Prof Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). “There is little point in placing reform proposals on the table, even in writing, unless the next elected government takes responsibility for implementing them.”

The observations came at a day-long event titled “Rupture, Reform, and Reimagining Democracy: Navigating the Agony of Transition”, organised by BIGD, BRAC University, in collaboration with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The event was based on findings from BIGD’s upcoming State of Governance 2024–25 report, which examines the July Uprising, its aftermath, and implications for Bangladesh’s political future and democratic trajectory.

July Uprising and Limits of Solidarity

Speakers noted that the July Uprising, which eventually led to the collapse of the Awami League regime, emerged through successive solidarities among different social groups rather than a single cause.

However, they argued that the movement ultimately failed to fully transform into a sustained people’s movement.

“Solidarity cannot survive on refusal alone,” said Nusrat Tabassum, Joint Convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), adding that politically conscious citizens—not parties—must take responsibility for preparing people for future collective action.

According to BIGD’s analysis, the Interim Government suffered from limited political autonomy, which weakened its ability to maintain public order and created space for mob violence.

The government largely adopted a hands-off approach to reforms, leaving key proposals to elite political bargaining while restricting meaningful participation by citizen groups.

Prof Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser and former head of the Bangladesh Constitutional Reform Commission, said the state remained dependent on a bureaucracy shaped by the previous regime.

“The country is not finished,” he said, adding that public pressure through a referendum could still create space for reforms if political parties are held accountable.

Several speakers criticised the marginalisation of civil society during the transition period.

Prof Naomi Hossain of SOAS University of London warned that in the vacuum left by civil society, “uncivil forces” had stepped in, citing attacks on women, ethnic minorities and media outlets as signs of authoritarian tendencies.

BIGD’s research also found that the Interim Government failed to adequately anticipate backlash against women’s rights reforms, exposing members of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission to targeted harassment and allowing hostile narratives to dominate public discourse.

“Women’s participation in policymaking is essential to bring gender issues from the margins to the centre,” said Taslima Akter, President of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity (BGWS).

The report noted that youth-led political initiatives initially inspired optimism but later faced credibility challenges due to internal divisions and unclear ideological direction.

Professor Samina Luthfa of the University of Dhaka said student leaders lost independence after joining the Interim Government without a clear mandate or grassroots structure.

Describing the transition as a phase of “refolution”—a mix of revolution and reform—Professor Asif Shahan, Senior Research Fellow at BIGD, said Bangladesh has now entered a “zone of uncertainty”.

“Although a majority of citizens still want major reforms, the process has produced an elite consensus without citizen ownership,” he said, warning that the future of reforms remains unclear.