Editing History of Bangladesh (section)

====Second martial law and Ershad administration====
[[File:Hussain Muhammad Ershad.jpg|thumb|upright|President [[Hussain Muhammad Ershad]]]]
[[File:Noor Hossain at 10 November 1987 protest for democracy in Dhaka (01).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Noor Hossain]], a pro-democracy demonstrator, "স্বৈরাচার নীপাত যাক//" The words, in bright white paint written on the bare chest on 10 November 1987 protest for democracy in Dhaka, photographed by Dinu Alam just before he was shot dead by President Ershad's security forces]]
Sattar was replaced by the chief justice [[A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury]]. Lieutenant General [[Hussain Muhammad Ershad]] proclaimed martial law and became the [[Chief Martial Law Administrator#Bangladesh|Chief Martial Law Administrator]]. He appointed himself as the President of the Council of Ministers and the naval and air force chiefs as deputy martial law administrators. Ershad geared Bangladesh's foreign policy more towards the anti-Soviet bloc.

In 1983, Ershad assumed the presidency. Political repression was rife under Ershad's martial law regime. However, the government implemented a series of administrative reforms, particularly in terms of [[devolution]]. The eighteen districts of the country were divided into [[Districts of Bangladesh|sixty-four districts]]. The [[upazila]] system was also created.

Among his major actions were to privatise the largely state-owned economy (up to 70% of industry was in public ownership) and encourage private investment in heavy industries along with light manufacturing, raw materials, and newspapers. Foreign companies were invited to invest in Bangladeshi industry as well, and stiff protectionist measures were put in place to safeguard manufacturing. All political parties and trade unions were banned, with the death penalty to be administered for corruption and political agitation. Ershad's takeover was generally viewed as a positive development{{fact|date=August 2024}}, as Bangladesh was in a state of serious economic difficulty. The country was facing significant food shortages. The government also faced a severe budget deficit to the tune of 4&nbsp;billion takas, and the [[IMF]] declared that it would not provide any more loans until Bangladesh paid down some of its existing debts. During most of 1984, Ershad sought the opposition parties' participation in local elections under martial law. The opposition's refusal to participate, however, forced Ershad to abandon these plans. Ershad sought public support for his regime in a national referendum on his leadership in [[1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum|March 1985]]. He won overwhelmingly, although turnout was small. Two months later, Ershad held elections for local council chairmen. Pro-government candidates won a majority of the posts, setting in motion the President's ambitious decentralisation programme.
Political life was further liberalised in early 1986, and additional political rights, including the right to hold large public rallies, were restored. At the same time, the [[Jatiya Party (Ershad)|Jatiya (National) Party]], designed as Ershad's political vehicle for the transition from martial law, was established.<ref name=bn>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3452.htm |title=Background Note: Bangladesh |last=[[Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs]] |date=March 2008 |website=U.S. Department of State |access-date=11 June 2008 |archive-date=27 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027173216/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3452.htm |url-status=live }} ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref> Despite a boycott by the BNP, led by President Zia's widow, Begum [[Khaleda Zia]], parliamentary elections were held on schedule in [[1986 Bangladeshi general election|May 1986]]. The Jatiya Party won a modest majority of the 300 elected seats in the National Assembly. The participation of the Awami League—led by the late President Mujib's daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wajed—lent the elections some credibility, despite widespread charges of voting irregularities.<ref name=bn/><ref name="Ershadsbid">
{{cite news |last=Liton |first=Shakhawat |date=28 August 2010 |title=Ershad's desperate bids go in vain |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-152587 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=3 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619213834/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-152587 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |url-status=live}}
</ref>

Ershad resigned as Chief of Army Staff and retired from military service in preparation for the [[1986 Bangladeshi presidential election|1986 presidential elections]], scheduled for October. Protesting that martial law was still in effect, both the BNP and the AL refused to put up opposing candidates. Ershad easily outdistanced the remaining candidates, taking 84% of the vote. Although Ershad's government claimed a turnout of more than 50%, opposition leaders, and much of the foreign press, estimated a far lower percentage and alleged voting irregularities.<ref name="NYTershad">
[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/17/world/bangladesh-chief-claims-vote-victory.html Bangladesh Chief Claims Vote Victory] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227232225/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/17/world/bangladesh-chief-claims-vote-victory.html |date=27 December 2018 }} The New York Times, 17 October 1986
</ref>

In November 1986, his government mustered the necessary two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to pass the seventh constitutional amendment bill, protecting Ershad and his regime from prosecution for actions taken under the years of military rule.<ref name="Ershadsbid" /> Martial law was subsequently lifted on 11 November<ref name=bn/><ref>
{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/11/11/martial-law-ends-in-bangladesh/2be0301b-5fc2-4e63-93d8-ff368b939a3b/|title=Martial Law Ends in Bangladesh|date=11 November 1986|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=29 December 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229220705/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/11/11/martial-law-ends-in-bangladesh/2be0301b-5fc2-4e63-93d8-ff368b939a3b/|archive-date=29 December 2018|url-status=live}}
</ref> and the opposition parties took their elected seats in the National Assembly.

In July 1987, however, after the government hastily pushed through a controversial legislative bill to include military representation on local administrative councils, the opposition walked out of Parliament. Passage of the bill helped spark an opposition movement that quickly gathered momentum, uniting Bangladesh's opposition parties for the first time. The government began to arrest scores of opposition activists under the country's Special Powers Act of 1974. Despite these arrests, opposition parties continued to organise protest marches and nationwide strikes.<ref name="nvad">
{{cite web|url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/bangladeshis-bring-down-ershad-regime-1987-1990|title=Bangladeshis bring down Ershad regime, 1987-1990|date=17 November 2012|website=Global Nonviolent Action Database|language=en|access-date=30 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107205104/https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/bangladeshis-bring-down-ershad-regime-1987-1990|archive-date=7 January 2019|url-status=live}}
</ref> In order to prevent a 72-hour strike planned for 29 November, Ershad declared a state of emergency on 27 November.<ref>
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-28-mn-5961-story.html Protest Banned, Curfew Imposed in Bangladesh]  L.A. Times, 28 November 1987
</ref> Parliament was dissolved on 6 December,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/about-parliament/tenure-of-parliament|title=Tenure of All Parliaments|date=30 December 2012|website=Parliament of Bangladesh|language=en|access-date=30 December 2018|archive-date=12 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812074443/http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/about-parliament/tenure-of-parliament|url-status=live}}</ref> and fresh elections scheduled for March 1988.<ref name=bn/>

All major opposition parties refused government overtures to participate in these polls, maintaining that the government was incapable of holding free and fair elections. Despite the opposition boycott, the [[1988 Bangladeshi general election|parliamentary elections]] proceeded. The ruling [[Jatiya Party (Ershad)|Jatiya Party]] won 251 of the 300 seats. The Parliament, while still regarded by the opposition as an illegitimate body, held its sessions as scheduled, and passed numerous bills, including, in June 1988, the controversial eighth [[Amendments to the Constitution of Bangladesh|amendment to the Constitution]], which made Islam the state religion,<ref name="statereligion">
{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-islam-state-idUSKCN0W91XJ|title=After 28 years, Bangladesh revives case to drop Islam as state...|date=7 March 2016|work=Reuters|access-date=29 December 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622005411/https://www.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-islam-state-idUSKCN0W91XJ|archive-date=22 June 2018|url-status=live}}
</ref> in contrast to the original secular nature of the [[Constitution of Bangladesh|Constitution]].

By 1989, the local council elections were generally considered by international observers to have been less violent and more free and fair than previous elections. However, opposition to Ershad's rule began to regain momentum, escalating by the end of 1990 in frequent general strikes, increased campus protests, public rallies, and a general disintegration of law and order.<ref name=bn/>