Matriarchs’ Duel for Power Threatens to Tilt Bangladesh Off Balance
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Two ladies eyed each other from their elegant residences in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, last week, each waiting to see whether the other would blink. The former prime minister, stern-faced and imperious as a medieval queen, received visitors in a creamy white sitting room as a servant brought pastries. She had spent the week under de facto house arrest, blockaded behind the police and five large trucks loaded with sand, but seemed unruffled. “Many times I was under house arrest,” she said flatly. “Many times I was in jail.” A few miles away, the current prime minister — a twinkly, grandmotherly type — had declared victory in a blatantly one-sided round of elections, walking down a red carpet that had been unrolled on her front lawn. Withering criticism was coming in, both from Western governments and Bangladeshi newspapers, but she glowed with confidence, joking easily. RELATED COVERAGE Bangladesh’s Governing Party Wins Vote Amid Unrest JAN...