UK fact finding mission reports democratic progress under BNP govt

A UK government fact finding mission has testified that the political and democratic situation in Bangladesh improved following the ouster of the Awami League regime in August 2024, and continued to progress after the BNP assumed power.
However, the report noted that despite improvements in the political landscape and freedom of speech, concerns remain regarding corruption, police accountability and effectiveness and the limited implementation of state reforms proposed following the uprising.
Three officials from the UK’s Country Policy and Information Team (CPIT) carried out the fact finding mission from 7 to 15 June, and the report has been published this month, the UK government said in a statement on Monday.
The mission has gathered information from a range of sources about the political situation since the July 2024 uprising and the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in early August of the same year. Summary of the findings is as follows:
The political situation has stabilised and generally improved since the July 2024 uprising, following the interim government period and the formation of a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government following the February 2026 elections. Political parties, journalists, civil society organisations and human rights groups reported greater freedom to operate, express views and engage in public debate than under the previous Awami League (AL) government. However, concerns remain regarding corruption, police accountability and effectiveness and the limited implementation of wide-reaching reforms proposed following the uprising.
The BNP, and opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP), are able to organise, campaign, protest and criticise the government. Political violence continues to occur, but is generally localised and most often relates to disputes over local influence, business interests, resources and political control at the local level. Sources described the 2026 election as generally peaceful and significantly less violent than previous elections and noted that political violence has reduced since the election.