1996 constitutional amendment Khaleda Zia of the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was elected as
Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first time by the
1991 general election. She was elected again in the following
February 1996 general election. The election was organized by Zia's government rather than a neutral caretaker government and was boycotted by the major opposition parties − the
Awami League,
Jatiya Party and
Jamaat-e-Islami. Without major competition, the BNP won a landslide victory and Zia was re-elected. The opposition demanded new elections under a caretaker government. Civil unrest led to these demands being met in late March and an Awami League victory in the
June 1996 general election. On 28 March, the
13th amendment to the
Constitution of Bangladesh introduced the practice of non-partisan
caretaker governments for the holding of general elections.
2006–2008 caretaker government In late 2006, President
Iajuddin Ahmed formed a caretaker government. Chief Justice K.M. Hasan was unable to fill the role of Chief Advisor; according to the Awami League, the outgoing government — controlled by Zia's BNP — appointed Hasan as Chief Justice to influence the caretaker government. The dispute resulted in violent unrest and the cancellation of the January 2007 general election.
Fakhruddin Ahmed formed a new caretaker government in January 2007 backed by the
Bangladesh Armed Forces. The caretaker government maintained a limited
state of emergency while arresting Awami and BNP members for
corruption. The caretaker government was replaced after the
2008 general election, having exceeded the constitutionally-mandated term limit of 120-days.
Abolition In 2011, the Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina's Awami League-led government abolished caretaker governments with the
15th constitutional amendment. This amendment was opposed by the BNP and other parties. According to Hasina, the courts could dissolve parliament. According to Ershad in 2012, there was popular support for caretaker governments.
Revival Following the
High Court Division's verdict, several sections of the
Fifteenth Amendment were scrapped on 17 December 2024, restoring the caretaker system. ==Process==