DHAKA — Thousands in Bangladesh flocked to hear the plans of the students who toppled long-time leader Sheikh Hasina when they launched a new political party this year, but now it finds itself struggling to translate the street power into votes.

Fighting to deliver on its promise to free the nation from decades of nepotism and two-party dominance, the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) faces entrenched rivals with deep networks and resources as polls approach in February.

“Our organization is weak because we haven’t had enough time to build it,” said its chief Nahid Islam, prominent in last year’s deadly anti-government protests who served briefly in the caretaker administration under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

“We are aware of this, but we are still taking on the challenge,” added the 27-year-old, speaking from the party office in a high-rise in Dhaka, the capital, where one wall was covered in graffiti depicting crowds in revolt.

POLLS SHOW PARTY PUSHED TO THIRD PLACE
Opinion polls show the NCP, which aims to contest all 300 seats, in third place, with support of just 6%, far behind the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, which leads with 30%.

Even the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami will do better than the NCP, coming in second with 26%, a December poll by a US-based non-profit, the International Republican Institute, showed.

“When they first launched, I saw hope in them, like everyone,” said Prapti Taposhi, 25, who helped lead the revolt and looked to the newcomers to break decades of rule by two dominant parties, only to say she was eventually disappointed.

“They say they are centrist, but their actions don’t match that,” added Ms. Taposhi, a feminist activist.

“They hesitate to take positions on important issues, whether it’s minority rights or women’s rights, and when they do, it comes too late.”

Another sign of growing disenchantment was the party’s failure to win a single seat in September’s student body election at Dhaka University, the epicenter of the uprising that forced Ms. Hasina to flee to New Delhi.

Ms. Hasina’s Awami League, which remains barred from contesting the election, has warned of unrest if the ban is not lifted, a threat that could imperil Bangladesh’s textile industry, the world’s second biggest garment exporter.

TALKS FOR POLITICAL ALLIANCE
Hampered by a skeletal structure, scarce funds, and a stance on key issues such as rights for women and minorities widely seen as unclear, the NCP is holding talks with other parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, leaders say.

“If we stand independently, there is a chance we may not win even one seat,” a senior NCP leader told Reuters on condition of anonymity, acknowledging the risks.

On the other hand, say analysts, an alliance risks diluting the party’s “revolutionary” image.

“If they ally, the public will no longer see them as a distinct force outside the Awami League, BNP and Jamaat,” said Dhaka-based writer and political analyst Altaf Parvez.

While the uprising briefly united students across party lines to oust Ms. Hasina, most returned to their respective groups afterwards, leaving just a fraction to form the NCP, said political analysts and one NCP leader.

Now the party faces rivals with long-entrenched networks and well-oiled machinery stretching deep into villages.

FUNDRAISING IS A HURDLE
Money is another hurdle, Mr. Islam said, as members rely on salaries from full-time jobs, small donations and crowdfunding to keep campaigns afloat.

Some, like 28-year-old Hasnat Abdullah, have tried to drum up support by going door-to-door in villages.

“In my constituency, I tell people I am penniless,” he said, referring to an eastern region where he plans to contest. “I told them a leader’s main job is not to give voters money, but to ensure government funds are properly allocated and used.”

Graft accusations against some NCP leaders, which the party denies, saying it has a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, have further dented its image, however.

‘OFFERING SOMETHING NEW’
Yet some young people are still inclined to support the party, seeing it as striving for a more egalitarian culture in a political landscape shaped by money, muscle and dynastic power.

“They are young, they led the revolution, and I’m hopeful they can deliver change — as long as they don’t turn authoritarian themselves,” said one such backer, university student Manzila Rahman.

The NCP launched an unusual search for candidates in November, interviewing more than 1,000 applicants among ordinary citizens nationwide over two days.

Young party leaders moved from booth to booth interviewing hopefuls, including a rickshaw puller who took a day off work for the tryout, and a 23-year-old student partially blinded by police pellets during the protests.

“Some may think a rickshaw puller has nothing to offer in parliament,” said Mohammad Sujan Khan, 32. “Give me a chance and see what I do to change the country.”

The chance of such a future attracted Tasnim Jara, a doctor who left a successful career in Cambridge to join the NCP, seeking to help build it from the ground up.

“We want to open up politics, not keep it confined to powerful families, and give power back to ordinary people,” she said.

BNP and Jamaat leaders also see value in engaging with students.

“It’s the young people who are going to dominate politics in the future, so it will be good if we can accommodate them in parliament,” said BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

NCP leaders say they are thinking beyond the upcoming vote, aiming for institutional and structural reform in the long term.

“Win or lose, just by taking part in the election, we are offering something new,” said NCP’s Mr. Abdullah.— Reuters

TEGUCIGALPA — Honduras again halted the publication of official results in its presidential election, an electoral official said on Wednesday, as centrist Salvador Nasralla maintained a narrow lead ahead of Trump-backed conservative Nasry Asfura.

The release of updated results was halted due to system maintenance but without proper warning, Cossette Lopez-Osorio, an official at Honduras’ electoral council, said on X, adding she considered this an “inexcusable” development.

With 79.60% of votes counted, the Liberal Party’s Mr. Nasralla held 40.27% of support, less than 16,000 votes ahead of the National Party’s Mr. Asfura with 39.64%. Rixi Moncada, of the ruling leftist LIBRE Party, was well behind in third place with 19.01%.

The tightly contested race has been marred by system delays and allegations of fraud, as well as the intervention from US President Donald Trump, who strongly backed Mr. Asfura and alleged there had been fraud, without providing evidence.

Election observers, from the European Union and the Organization of American States, as well as Honduras’ electoral authority have called for calm and patience as the final votes are counted.

Early preliminary results released on Monday had originally shown Mr. Asfura with a slim lead of some 500 votes, with election organizers declaring a “technical tie” and saying votes would have to be counted by hand. When the count was updated on Tuesday, Mr. Nasralla had swung to a narrow lead.

Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a Washington-based think tank that promotes democracy, said Mr. Trump’s interference and accusations against Mr. Asfura’s rivals had undoubtedly had an impact.

Mr. Trump’s threat to cut funds if Mr. Asfura did not win “would be considered likely to cause economic harm to Honduras and its people,” he said.

Mr. Trump said on social media that Honduras was “trying to change the results of their Presidential Election.”

“If they do there will be hell to pay! The people of Honduras voted in overwhelming numbers on November 30th,” he said on his Truth Social platform on Monday night.

Ms. Moncada, the ruling party candidate, told Telesur on Wednesday that she rejected the vote transmission system as flawed and criticized its lack of transparency.

Referring to Trump’s interference, which she said violated all international protocols, Ms. Moncada said this marked “a direct intervention that affects the interests of the Honduran people.” — Reuters

PARIS — The French government on Wednesday criticized the decision by an Algerian court to uphold a seven-year jail sentence for French journalist Christophe Gleizes despite its efforts to convince Algerian authorities to change the verdict.

“It regrets that its full cooperation with the Algerian authorities and the explanations provided by his defense team were not enough to change the verdict. We call for his release and hope for a favorable outcome so that he can quickly be reunited with his family,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

“France reiterates its commitment to freedom of the press throughout the world,” the statement said.

Ties between Paris and Algiers deteriorated sharply after France recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. The cases of Mr. Gleizes and French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was also sentenced to a lengthy prison term, have exacerbated the tensions. Relations were also strained by Algiers’ refusal to take back people who were deported by French authorities.

Mr. Sansal, however, was pardoned last month by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Mr. Gleizes, a journalist for French magazines So Foot and Society, was arrested in May 2024 in Tizi Ouzou, 100 kilometers east of Algiers, where he was working on a story about sports in the region of Kabylia, French press freedom activist group Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF, said.

He was charged and convicted of “glorifying terrorism” by a local court in June, RSF said. The ruling was upheld on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said.— Reuters

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday announced increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, with an internal State Department memo saying that anyone involved in “censorship” of free speech be considered for rejection.

H-1B visas, which allow US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields, are crucial for US tech companies which recruit heavily from countries including India and China. Many of those companies’ leaders threw their support behind Mr. Trump in the last presidential election.

The cable, sent to all US missions on December 2, orders US consular officers to review resumes or LinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants – and family members who would be traveling with them – to see if they have worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others.

“If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible,” under a specific article of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the cable said.

Details on the enhanced vetting for H-1B visas, including the focus on censorship and free speech, have not been previously reported. The State Dept did not respond to a request for comment on the contents of the cable.

The cable said all visa applicants were subject to this policy, but sought a heightened review for the H-1B applicants given they frequently worked in the technology sector “including in social media or financial services companies involved in the suppression of protected expression.”

“You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities,” the cable said.

The new vetting requirements apply to both new and repeat applicants.

The Trump administration has made free speech, particularly what it sees as the stifling of conservative voices online, a focus of its foreign policy.

Officials have repeatedly weighed in on European politics to denounce what they say is suppression of right-wing politicians, including in Romania, Germany and France, accusing European authorities of censoring views like criticism of immigration in the name of countering disinformation.

In May, Mr. Rubio threatened visa bans for people who censor speech by Americans, including on social media, and suggested the policy could target foreign officials regulating US tech companies.

The Trump administration has already significantly tightened its vetting of applicants for student visas, ordering US consular officers to screen for any social media posts that may be hostile towards the United States.

As part of his wide-ranging crackdown on immigration, Mr. Trump in September imposed new fees on H-1B visas.

Mr. Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly accused the administration of Democratic former President Joe Biden of encouraging suppression of free speech on online platforms, claims that have centered on efforts to stem false claims about vaccines and elections. — Reuters