From dialogue halls to heart of the city: Jamaat and allies ignite protests over election reforms

As discussions over the implementation of the July Charter unfolded at the National Consensus Commission, six political parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, took to the streets with coordinated protests. Their joint campaign demands that the July Charter be implemented ahead of the national election in February, that proportional representation (PR) be introduced in both parliamentary chambers, and that the activities of the “allies of the Awami League” be banned. The movement, framed around five uniform demands, is described by the parties as both a strategy to pressure the government and a tool to build public opinion. Yet, with an interim government in place that has said it will honour decisions based on political consensus, questions have arisen over whether the protests...