authoritarian

Exiled opposition leader and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo on Sunday strongly condemned "this practice of targeting the families of those who, from abroad, denounce and fight against the authoritarian excesses of the junta".

What started with students protesting against a quota system for government jobs eventually turned into broader demonstrations calling for an end to Hasina’s authoritarian rule.

But Hasina has long been accused of enacting repressive authoritarian measures against her political opponents, detractors and the media - a remarkable turnaround for a leader who once fought for multi-party democracy.

Supporters say his approach has helped to fight crime, but critics say his government has resorted to authoritarian tactics.

The Democrat who can lay out that vision while simultaneously continuing to battle the authoritarian creep currently eating our democracy will, in my humble opinion, be the one voters choose, regardless of origin story.