Fahmida Khatun

Many expected Dr Ahsan H Mansur to complete his full term, till August 2028.

In November last year, Bangladesh confirmed that it continued to meet all three LDC graduation criteria and remained on track for graduation in November 2026 despite economic shocks.

The election came after years of severe distrust in the electoral process, questions over legitimacy, and institutional strain, so the poll’s successful conduct has reinforced trust in the process as well as the principle that governments derive authority from the consent of the governed.

Bangladesh’s GDP in the fiscal year 2025 was $461.63 billion. If the country aims to reach a $1 trillion economy by FY2034, the economy would need to more than double over nine years.

The incoming government will have to make austerity a top priority at the leadership level for fiscal consolidation. Enhancing accountability mechanisms is essential to improving expenditure efficiency. Parliamentary oversight of public funds must be strengthened.

The Ninth National Pay Commission formed by the interim government recently recommended a salary increase for government employees in the range of 100-142 percent.

The Global Risks Report 2026, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), presents some of the stark realities of the world today. 

The upcoming parliamentary election, scheduled for February 12, is of exceptional political and economic significance for Bangladesh.

Over the 55 years since Bangladesh's independence, the processes of state-building, political transformation, and economic reconstruction have unfolded in deeply interconnected ways.

The outlook for FY2026 indicates a modest recovery, although some risks remain.

The recent wave of violence has revealed a deeply worrying trend in public life.

The erosion of democracy became most pronounced between 2014 and 2024.

Bangladesh's inability to create adequate opportunities for its young population has moved far beyond an economic concern.

COP30 could not deliver concrete actions to phase out fossil fuels and advance climate finance, but some new opportunities were created for vulnerable countries.

As the impacts of climate change become more severe with deadly heatwaves, eroding coastlines, rising food prices, and increasing social and economic instability, affected countries, particularly poor ones, are getting concerned about having to slow their development while addressing climate change.

Emerging from the ruins of the war of independence in 1971 with a devastated economy, Bangladesh has gradually transformed into a vibrant lower-middle-income country.

Global attention has currently turned to Belém, one of the gateways to the Brazilian Amazon, where the climate community has gathered for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In Bangladesh, successive governments have undermined the autonomy of the Bangladesh Bank.

When automation and artificial intelligence are transforming economies, the Nobel laureates’ work offers caution and hope.

Bangladesh pledges to reduce emissions from energy sources by 26.46 percent by 2035.