Bangladesh's Jamaat Surges from Campus Victories to National Power
Bangladesh’s Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami moved from campus politics to the national stage by winning a landslide in University of Dhaka student elections and securing 68 of 297 seats in the first national vote since the 2024 student-led uprising; it also formed a strategic alliance with the National Citizen Party, which won six of 30 seats it contested. A referendum backed democratic reforms (bicameral legislature, term limits) intended to safeguard democracy, but analysts warn that student movements often falter in traditional patronage politics, suggesting a shifting yet fragile political landscape.
