The World

10 ESSENTIAL STORIES

1 | Bangladesh A Secular Victory On Dec. 29, following two years of rule by a military-backed interim government, Bangladesh held its first parliamentary elections in seven years. The secular Awami League--led by former Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wajed--and its allied groups won an overwhelming majority of seats, easily defeating the Islamist-heavy Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which after the loss complained of voting irregularities. Some analysts are fearful that lack of cooperation from the BNP might result in mass protests and a resurgence of the violence and extremism that have afflicted Bangladeshi politics. Hopes remain high, however, that the generally peaceful...

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