The current political situation in Bangladesh is very tense. A general election has been scheduled to take place in January. Prior to the general election, a neutral caretaker government takes the place of the political party in power. This practice has been established in order to ensure free and fair elections. Under Bangladesh's unique system, when an administration comes to the end of its term it hands over to an unelected interim government which has 90 days to organise elections. The opposition has been demanding a say in choosing the "chief adviser", as the interim prime minister is known.

The 4 party coalition that is currently in power is lead by Chairperson and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party). The main opposition party is a coalition of 14 loosely affiliated parties, which is lead by the Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina. Bangladeshi politics is especially bitter because of the personal rivalry between Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and Mrs Zia. They have led the country in alternate terms since 1991 but have not spoken for years. Parliament has been boycotted regularly by whichever party is in opposition, and a culture of street demonstrations has developed.

The current tension and violence is a result of the BNP and AL not being able to agree upon who will be the lead the caretaker government. Former Chief Justice KM Hasan was the name put forward by the ruling BNP party, however the AL feels that Hasan is partisan, and that a caretaker government under Hasan's control would not be neutral. The AL and BNP have had the past 2 years (of a 5 year term in office) to resolve this issue. There has been increasing pressure on the political parties to reach a peaceful solution, as well as pressure on Hasan from the AL to step aside to avoid potential conflict.

The transfer of power from the BNP was to take place yesterday, however yesterday morning's paper claimed Hasan wasn't available at the last moment due to illness. The headline of the paper this morning reads, "KM Hasan steps aside for the 'sake of the people'". Perhaps it was wise for him to step aside to prevent further conflict between the BNP and AL, and/or to save face before being asked to step aside. However, I have to question his timing. If he was truly concerned about the democratic process and the Bangladeshi people, then why didn't he step aside a long time ago? If he had removed his name for consideration, then the past 2 years could have been spent searching for a mutually agreed upon leader rather than each party obstinately sticking to their current position.

Yesterday political acitivists vandalized offices and residences of rivals. There was violence in the city and the countryside that resulted in at least 18 people killed and 2,000 wounded as activists of the outgoing BNP coalition government and the Awami League-led 14 party opposition clashed just hours after the curtain fell on the BNP coalition government. Since there is no agreed upon leader for the caretaker government, Bangladesh finds itself in a very unique and awkward position.

The position of President of Bangladesh is primarily a figurehead position, that is, (s)he does not wield much day-to-day power. However, in this situation the President has called for the AL and BNP to quickly come to a resolution as to who will lead the caretaker government.

Breaking News:
It has just been announced on the BBC that the Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed has said he will become caretaker prime minister after the main political parties failed to agree a candidate. The announcement came after Mr Ahmed held separate talks with party leaders. The decision for the President to take the job himself without opposition approval is the last constitutional option available, and could trigger more protests.

It has been very sad to watch these events unfold. The entire country was buoyed by the exciting news that Dr. Yunus had won the Nobel Peace Prize. There were jubilant headlines in the papers pronouncing wonderful things ahead for Bangladesh. Those headlines have now been replaced by news of death, injuries and corruption. In a country that has been rocked by natural disaster, do we really need to add to already existing hardships?