Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Election Reform Commission, has expressed concern that politics in Bangladesh has become a business, with political parties operating like business syndicates. Speaking at a roundtable organized by Dhaka Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA) on 'Political Financing Culture and Business Protection in Bangladesh,' he questioned whether any truly democratic and transparent political party exists in the country. Participants highlighted the lack of transparency in party financing, weak regulatory oversight, and dependence on informal transactions that distort democratic competition and policymaking. Transparency International Bangladesh’s Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman proposed mandatory public disclosure of income and expenditure by elected representatives. Other speakers, including academics and party representatives, discussed the deep-rooted link between business and politics and the need for legal clarity and political goodwill to ensure accountability. The discussion underscored doubts about the Election Commission’s capacity to reform the current opaque system.