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Gen-Z Protests Fail at Ballot Box: Bangladesh Verdict Exposes Political Limits

A report from the Council on Foreign Relations highlights the limited political success of Gen-Z protests despite their global spread. While youth movements successfully ousted leaders in Bangladesh and Nepal, they have consistently failed at the ballot box. In Bangladesh's recent election, the established BNP won a landslide, not the party founded by protest leaders. The verdict raises questions about whether traditional parties will enact the democratic reforms voters demanded.

Key Points: Why Gen-Z Protests Fail to Win Elections: Bangladesh Case Study

  • Gen-Z protests ousted Bangladesh PM
  • Inspired movements across Asia and Africa
  • Failed to win subsequent elections
  • BNP won landslide, not youth party
  • Reform promises now face test
3 min read

Bangladesh verdict shows how Gen-Z fails to turn demonstrations into political success: Report

A CFR report analyzes how youth-led protests in Bangladesh and Asia struggle to convert street demonstrations into electoral victories or policy change.

"But while Gen-Z protests have proliferated, they have failed to turn demonstrations into political success at the ballot box, or in policymaking. - Joshua Kurlantzick"

Washington, Feb 16

Citing the recent election result in Bangladesh, a report has highlighted how Gen-Z protests, that have proliferated in various regions, failed to turn demonstrations into political success at the ballot box, or in policymaking.

Writing for the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Joshua Kurlantzick, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia, noted the Bangladesh protests that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 also were one of the first big Gen-Z protest successes in Asia, and inspired other, similar efforts in Nepal (where demonstrations toppled a Prime Minister), Indonesia (where protests stalled), and other places.

Their impact, wrote Kurlantzick, reached as far as Madagascar, other parts of Africa, and the Caribbean, supposedly part of a worldwide trend of Gen-Z political uprisings, demonstrating that Gen-Z was going to make its impact felt on politics everywhere.

"But while Gen-Z protests have proliferated, they have failed to turn demonstrations into political success at the ballot box, or in policymaking," wrote Kurlantzick while mentioning that recently the People's Party, the party with the most support among Gen-Z in Thailand, was crushed in national elections and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan, the ultimate establishment party, saw off challenges from a range of Gen Z-oriented new parties, winning a massive victory.

"So, too, in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina is gone but the massive winner of the election was not the party started by young leaders of the protests, or any other reform-minded party, but the BNP, the other half of the long-ruling duopoly. The BNP, which won by a landslide, has said all the right things, but many Bangladeshis do not trust it," he added.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by the student leaders of the 2024 protests, won only six of the 30 seats it contested in parliament - "a very weak showing", reckoned Kurlantzick.

Writing in CFR, he detailed that, by putting BNP back in power, Bangladeshis have voted overwhelmingly for major constitutional changes aimed at safeguarding democracy, broadening economic and political opportunities, and curbing corruption.

Now the question remains whether the BNP, now set to dominate parliament, will push these reforms through or not.

Whether the BNP acts or not will reveal if the party has truly changed, and if it cannot, said Kurlantzick, Bangladeshi politics will remain mired in the same problems that existed before.

"Coming in second was the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which attempted an image makeover for the election but has in the past been linked to deadly political violence, and is expressly misogynist. And even though this election was, on Election Day, free and fair, there was a spate of seemingly political killings and other violence leading up to the vote, as has happened too many times before in Bangladesh," he added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
It's a bit disheartening to see. The energy of Gen-Z is incredible—we saw it with the farmers' protests here too—but converting that momentum into electoral wins is a different ball game. Old political machines are deeply entrenched. Bangladesh's situation shows the challenge clearly.
R
Rohit P
The report makes a valid point, but it's also a bit early to write off Gen-Z's impact. In India, look at how youth-driven issues like climate change and employment are now central to every party's manifesto. Change is slow, but the pressure is working. 💪
S
Sarah B
As an observer, it's fascinating. The BNP winning a landslide after the protests ousted Hasina is classic "meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Voters often retreat to familiar names when faced with uncertainty, even if they promised change. A cautionary tale for political movements everywhere.
V
Vikram M
Respectfully, the analysis feels a bit Western-centric. "Success" isn't only measured by winning seats. In Bangladesh, they *did* topple a PM! That's huge. It shakes the system and sets a precedent. The political awakening of a generation is a success in itself, even if the old guard wins the next round.
K
Karthik V
Stability vs. Revolution. This is the eternal dilemma. The youth want rapid change, but the majority, especially in our societies, often prefers the devil they know. The BNP might have won because people were scared of chaos. Hope they deliver on the constitutional reforms they promised.

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