Politics of Bangladesh

Politics

Main article: Politics of Bangladesh

The Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban houses the Parliament of Bangladesh. Designed by American architect Louis Kahn, it is considered to be one of the landmarks of modern architecture and is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world.

Bangladesh is a unitary state and parliamentary democracy.^[52] Direct elections in which all citizens, aged 18 or over, can vote are held every five years for the unicameral parliament known as the Jatiyo Sangshad. Currently it has 350 members (including 50 reserved seats for women) elected from single-member constituencies. The Prime Minister, as the head of government, forms the cabinet and runs the day-to-day affairs of state. While the Prime Minister is formally appointed by the President, he or she must be a member of parliament who commands the confidence of the majority.
The President is the head of state, albeit mainly ceremonially in his/her elected post;^[53] however, the President's powers are substantially expanded during the tenure of a caretaker government, which is responsible for the conduct of elections and transfer of power. The officers of the caretaker government must be non-partisan and are given three months to complete their task. This transitional arrangement was pioneered by Bangladesh in its 1991 election and then institutionalised in 1996 through its 13th constitutional amendment.^[54]
Major parties in Bangladesh include the Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI), and the Jatiya Party of former military dictator Ershad. Sheikh Hasina's Awami League aligns with more leftist parties, whereas Khaleda Zia's BNP has politically been allied with Islamist parties like the BJI but practices secular politics. The former two have been bitter, dominant political rivals for over 15 years; each is related to one of the leaders of the independence movement. The Awami League-BNP rivalry has been punctuated by protests, violence and murder. Student politics are particularly strong in Bangladesh, a legacy from the liberation movement era, as almost all parties have highly active student wings, and student leaders have been elected to the Jatiyo Sangshad.
On 11 January 2007, following widespread political unrest, emergency law was declared and a caretaker government was appointed to administer the next general election. The 22 January 2007 election was postponed indefinitely as the Army-backed caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed aimed to prepare a new voter list and crack down on corruption. They also assisted the interim government of Bangladesh in a drive against corruption, which resulted in Bangladesh's position in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index changed from the very bottom, where they had been for 3 years in a row, to 147th in just 1 year.^[55] A large alliance led by the Bangladesh Awami League won in a 29 December 2008 landslide victory, gaining 230 seats among 300 seats in the parliament.^[56]

Subdivisions

Further information: Divisions of Bangladesh, Districts of Bangladesh, and Upazilas of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is divided into seven administrative divisions,^[1][57] each named after their respective divisional headquarters: Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Rangpur.
Divisions are subdivided into districts (zila). There are 64 districts in Bangladesh, each further subdivided into upazila (subdistricts) or thana. The area within each police station, except for those in metropolitan areas, is divided into several unions, with each union consisting of multiple villages. In the metropolitan areas, police stations are divided into wards, which are further divided into mahallas. There are no elected officials at the divisional or district levels, and the administration is composed only of government officials. Direct elections are held for each union (or ward), electing a chairperson and a number of members. In 1997, a parliamentary act was passed to reserve three seats (out of 12) in every union for female candidates.^[58]
Dhaka is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The cities with a city corporation, having mayoral elections, include Dhaka South, Dhaka North, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Comilla and Gazipur. Other major cities, these and other municipalities electing a chairperson, include Mymensingh, Gopalganj, Jessore, Bogra, Dinajpur, Saidapur, Narayanganj and Rangamati. Both the municipal heads are elected for a span of five years.

Division	Bangla	2011 population[59]	Area (km2)[59]	Population density 2011 (people/km2)[59]	Largest city
Barisal	বরিশাল	8,325,666	13,297	626	Barisal (328,278)
Chittagong	চট্টগ্রাম	28,423,019	33,771	841	Chittagong (2,592,439)
Dhaka	ঢাকা	47,424,418	31,120	1,523	Dhaka (7,033,075)
Khulna	খুলনা	15,687,759	22,272	704	Khulna (663,342)
Rajshahi	রাজশাহী	18,484,858	18,197	1,015	Rajshahi (449,756)
Rangpur	রংপুর	15,787,758	16,317	960	Rangpur (343,122)
Sylhet	সিলেট	9,910,219	12,596	780	Sylhet (479,837)
Bangladesh		144,043,697	147,570	976

Principal Cities

Main article: List of cities in Bangladesh

Rank	City	Population (2011 Census)[59]
1	Dhaka	7,033,075
2	Chittagong	2,592,439
3	Khulna	1,408,350
4	Gazipur	689,411
5	Narayanganj	543,090
6	Sylhet	479,837
7	Rajshahi	449,756
8	Barisal	328,278
9	Comilla	326,386
10	Rangpur	294,265

Law

Main article: Law of Bangladesh

The legal system of Bangladesh is primarily in accordance with the English legal system, although since 1947 the legal scenario and the laws of Bangladesh have drifted far from the West owing to differences in socio-cultural values and religious guidelines. Laws are loosely based on English common law, but family laws such as marriage and inheritance are based on religious scriptures, and therefore differ between religious communities. The Constitution of Bangladesh was drafted in 1972 and has undergone 15 amendments.^[54]
The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court, with justices appointed by the President. The judicial and law enforcement institutions are comparatively weak.^[60] On 1 November 2007, Bangladesh successfully separated the Judiciary Branch from the Executive, but several black laws, including the Special Powers Act, still influence the rulers.^[61] It is expected that this separation will make the judiciary stronger and more impartial.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh#Politics