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Introduction
For quite some time, Bangladesh has been facing political uncertainty. In fact, it all started before the 10thJatiya Sangsad/parliamentary election held on January 05, 2014 when the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), its alliance partners and many others wanted the election to be held under the NPCG and the ruling party, the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), and its allies claimed the NPCG system constitutionally defunct. Thus, they stuck to the position that election will be held under the party government and the Election Commission (EC) will play its Constitutional role in conducting the election. Due to this difference, theregrew further distrust between the two major political parties -the BNP and the BAL. Now, time has come when many Bangladeshis wonder if it will be possible to bring about political stability or to hold any inclusive, participatory and credible election in Bangladesh in near future. This critical situation of Bangladesh politics has invited analysts to ponder upon the future stability of Bangladesh politics.
This study attempts to analyze the 15th Constitutional Amendment, the Caretaker Debate, and the 10th Parliamentary Election and its aftermath. Since these issues are very much related with each other and they have serious impact on Bangladesh politics, I have tried to show this by discussing the post-2014 election political scenario of Bangladesh which may give us a hint about the future of Bangladesh politics.
Genesis, Features, and Impact of the 15th Constitutional Amendment and Caretaker Debate:
Genesis of the NPCG
Bangladesh has always been in the state of continuous political ups and downs and the caretaker debate has been a significant issue in Bangladesh politics since the early 1980s. The free and fair Jatiya Sangsad/parliamentary elections in 1991(5th) Jatiya Sangsad/parliamentary elections) in Bangladesh under a caretaker government lent credence to the thesis that in many developing countries that are beset with endemic electoral irregularities, an NPCG can be useful in eradicating electoral irregularities, reestablishing public faith in the sanctity of electoral process, and ensuring acceptability of the election results even by the parties that fare badly in the contest (Hakim, 1993, p. 103). Such a caretaker government stays in power for a limited period of time until the Sangsad/parliamentary election is held and a new government is formed by the elected representatives....