Election manifestos in Bangladesh have long existed in the uneasy space between aspiration and selective memory. Voters appear less interested in charismatic dominance and more concerned with whether any future government can be restrained by institutions. Voters are deciding not only which promises sound attractive, but which political actors appear least likely to abuse power again. At the same time, the proliferation of reformist rhetoric across manifestos indicates that no single party monopolizes the language of change. The era of unchecked authority has lost moral legitimacy, and political language has shifted from domination to discipline.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 09, 2026 04:39 UTC