The government has enacted around 130 laws and issued over 600 executive decisions since taking office following the July uprising of 2024, implementing approximately 84 percent of these reforms, according to a new publication titled ‘Reform by the Interim Government’.
The book, released on Sunday by the Interim Government, provides a detailed overview of key legal and institutional initiatives undertaken since August 2024.
The reforms follow nearly sixteen years of authoritarian rule under Sheikh Hasina, which left Bangladesh facing economic collapse, institutional decay, and a breakdown of democratic governance.
The book recorded in the eighteen months since taking office, the government has enacted around 130 laws and issued over 600 executive decisions. Approximately 84 percent of these reforms have been implemented, signalling tangible change rather than cosmetic measures.
According to the publication, The Interim Government, led by Muhammad Yunus, inherited a state hollowed out by corruption, with billions siphoned from public institutions, a banking sector crippled by non-performing loans, and regulatory bodies, including the central bank, subordinated to political and private interests. Law enforcement had been used for political repression, judicial independence was compromised, and media freedom and civil society were virtually non-existent.
From this situation, the Interim Government launched a wide-ranging reform agenda. Expert-led Reform Commissions were established to provide sector-specific recommendations, and the government moved swiftly to enact legal and institutional changes.
Reform Book highlights that roughly 84 percent of these measures have already been implemented, reflecting tangible progress rather than cosmetic change.
The book stated, economic and diplomatic reforms have accompanied these legislative measures. Bangladesh has signed new trade agreements, including an Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan, granting duty-free access for nearly 7,400 products.
Cooperation with China has extended loan maturities, supported healthcare infrastructure, and improved flood forecasting through shared hydrological data.
It alp mentions negotiations with the United States reduced reciprocal tariffs from 37 percent to 20 percent, safeguarding access to the world’s largest economy. Relations with India and other key partners have been recalibrated, with diplomatic ties strengthened overall.
Accountability initiatives are also underway. Hundreds of officials and politicians from the previous administration face anti-corruption cases, with billions in assets frozen or confiscated. Banking oversight has been strengthened, procurement transparency expanded across 42 ministries, and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics now operates independently.
Law enforcement reforms have restored discipline, with over 1,200 officers suspended pending investigation and human rights-focused training introduced for tens of thousands of personnel. Special commissions have collected testimonies from thousands of victims and families, and the Rapid Action Battalion has been restructured and renamed the “Special Intervention Force.”
According to the book, judicial independence has been reinforced through structural reforms, placing all courts under Supreme Court administration and introducing merit-based, politically insulated judicial appointments. Media freedom has been reestablished, with politically motivated cases against journalists dropped and previously banned outlets allowed to resume operations. No media organisations, including those linked to the former regime, have been shut down.
Inclusive political dialogue has also been a feature of the transition. Seven months of televised consultations culminated in the July Charter, now awaiting approval via a referendum. The Charter aims to entrench fundamental rights, checks and balances, and safeguards against authoritarianism.
While the work is far from complete, Reform Book demonstrates that the Interim Government has taken decisive steps to rebuild democratic institutions and restore public trust. The reforms enacted, and their high implementation rate, reflect a sustained effort to move Bangladesh away from the authoritarian practices of the past and chart a new course for the nation.
