Even though the country is being led in the wrong direction, most Bangladeshis have confidence in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This information has emerged in a research report of the International Republican Institute (IRI), a research institute based in the United States.
According to the report, 53 percent of the people of the country think that the country is going in the wrong direction. However, 70 percent people trust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
IRI published the survey on its website on Tuesday, August 8. They said the survey was conducted from March 1 to April 6, 2023. 5 thousand Bangladeshi citizens over 18 years of age participated in it. People of 64 districts of eight divisions participated in it.
According to the survey, only 44 percent of people think that the country is moving in the right direction. In September 2019, this number was 76 percent. They attribute the increase in the prices of daily commodities as the main reason for the decrease in this number.
In such a situation, most of the people are trusting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 70 percent people are trusting him. At the same time, the acceptance of the opposition party has also increased. In September 2019, the acceptance of the opposition party was 36 percent, this time it is 63 percent.
Apart from this, it is known that Bangladeshis are interested in voting in the upcoming national elections. 92 percent of respondents said they intend to vote in the next national election. However, 57 percent of respondents said they were “very likely” to vote.
According to the survey, 47 percent of Bangladeshis believe that the upcoming elections will be transparent and impartial. 43 percent don’t think it will be neutral. A majority of people, 44 percent, support the return of a caretaker government system in Bangladesh.
Commenting on the survey results, IRI’s South Asia Chapter Director Steve Seema said, “It is encouraging to see such public support for free, fair and competitive elections.”
