The students who played a central role in the demonstrations which led to the overthrow of the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, announced the formation of a new political party. This decision is one of the growing political unrest in the country before the expected elections.
The new party, named Gunatantrik Chhatra Frassad (Democratic Student Council), includes key members of the group of students against power in August 2024.
While the political landscape in Bangladesh has been responsible for division, the formation of the gutantrik Chhatra Frassad has already led to internal tensions. Rival factions within the student movement accused the new party of undermining the revolution, with some clashes between the members occurring when the party name was announced on Wednesday.
The new political entity has also attracted students who were once aligned with the Awami League in Hasina, including those of the party’s youth wing. Despite this, the new leaders are due to the inheritance of the inheritance of violence associated with the Hasina rule.
Zahid Ahsan, an eminent leader of the new party, explained that they had assured that none of the students of the Awami League was involved in atrocities during the Revolution. “We are committed to protecting the rights of students and wanting to maintain the spirit of the mass movement which called at the end of the autocratic hold of Hasina,” Ahsan told AFP.
Hasina, now in self-imposed exile in India, faces a series of accusations, including accusations of crimes against humanity. The formation of the new party aims to continue the reform and to establish a government which really represents the people.
Political chaos intensifies because rival student factions, including some former sad leaders, should form another party. These developments occur in the middle of increasing tensions, with more than 150 people injured in recent clashes between groups of students.
While the country goes to the elections, which are likely to see the nationalist party of Bangladesh (BNP), the longtime opponent of Hasina, playing a leading role, the situation remains volatile. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize winner at the head of the goalkeeper’s government, confirmed that the general elections would take place at the end of 2025 or at the beginning of 2026.
The Bangladesh’s political scene continues to be very fractured, with important divisions on the best way to go before after Hasina’s eviction and the inheritance of her rule. The formation of the gutantrik Chhatra Grassad signals a new phase of the country’s tumultuous political journey.
