Dhaka, Jan. 12 -- Five months have passed since the curtain rose on the stage of the interim government, an ensemble cast drawn together in a time of upheaval, tasked with stitching the seams of a nation frayed by deadly protests against the "authoritarian" Awami League rule.

Against a backdrop of administrative unrest and protests by disadvantaged professionals and workers, the transitional government dances a delicate ballet of reforms across the state's key institutions. Yet, in the heart of a nation teetering on the cusp of a seismic shift, the clamour for an election grows louder, echoing through the corridors of power and spilling into the streets.

The political theatre buzzes with anticipation and anxiety, with factions warning ...