Mohiuddin Alamgir

Bangladesh is heading towards its 13th presidential election today, but the country’s history of choosing its head of state tells a story of shrinking political competition.

It was like any other day. On August 14, 1975, the president’s office carried out its routine functions. Officials exchanged pleasantries, ministers held meetings, decisions were taken and instructions were given.

This year’s SSC results painted a grim picture, with the pass rate across the nine general education boards hitting a 19-year low and GPA-5 achievers falling to their lowest level since 2020.

Government primary schools across Bangladesh are struggling to keep lessons on track as headteacher posts remain vacant in more than half of the institutions while thousands of assistant-teacher positions also remain unfilled, putting extra pressure on teachers and disrupting classes.

When Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as president on July 24, the spotlight immediately shifted to who would succeed him at Bangabhaban.

From electoral controversies to student protests, the events that brought an end to Hasina's 15-year rule

It began with a question that resonated with millions of young Bangladeshis competing for scarce government jobs: should merit take a back seat to quotas?

Twenty-seven of the 50 parties that contested February’s general election reported zero campaign expenditure, according to filings submitted to the Election Commission (EC).