Now that the new government is officially installed, nothing can trump the drive to see them succeed in running the affairs of state, through what promises to be a quite challenging period ahead for the nation. Notwithstanding misgivings over the election process's shortcomings, the overall balance of the international reaction is certainly something the government can work with. It will be up to the incoming cabinet, that has also been sworn in with an infusion of new blood, to make the best of it, and it can be done.

Along with the new blood, there is some recycling as well, coming back after having skipped a term, while some key posts remain unchanged, as expected. The new finance minister, who was the first senior diplomat to switch allegiance to Bangladesh when war broke out in 1971, from the post of vice-consul at the Pakistan mission in New York, and led the foreign ministry deftly from 2014-19. His return to the cabinet could only have been with the finance portfolio, and that is what happened. Now the head of government for a fifth time (in football parlance, a penta) assured handling of portfolio assignments has been a hallmark of Sheikh Hasina's time in power. Particularly in the extended run since 2009, that has really allowed her to make the position her own, and leave her indelible mark on the nation's fortunes. We have said before in these pages, she is Bangladesh's most consequential leader, in whose image the country is now fashioned. There is no alternative to lead Bangladesh in this difficult moment. Perhaps at any moment.

Yet there is wisdom in the United Kingdom's insistence, in its reaction to the election, to seek a political settlement that allows the country to step beyond the polarised political landscape hemming it in. Centred around the bitter rivalry between the Awami League and the BNP, it has somehow still left us with a parliament without an identifiable opposition. We need parliament to be the forum in which political rivalries seethe and issues are settled. It needs no reiteration that the election took place amid a hartal, and the BNP has signalled its intention to carry on with its movement, or whatever is left of it, to unseat the government. Let it be clear that with the election having passed, this can now only happen through something out of the usual order - which would be in no-one's interest. The opposition will be much better advised to prepare to get back on the electoral track, and that means wait for 5 years. Given the bedraggled state they are in, it may be appropriate for the kind of reset needed in terms of both strategy and execution.

The global economic slowdown adds a layer of complexity to the situation, but that is what governments are elected for. Bangladesh, where rapid economic transformation driven by glitzy megaprojects and public investment under the Awami League post-2009, must now grapple with some vulnerabilities, notably in terms of energy security, as imports increase of primary fuels. With inflation still hovering too close to double digits in official figures, incitements to labour unrest and dissatisfaction among the populace must be guarded against. As citizens feel the economic pinch, they could do with some relief from the charged political climate. That could be the reward of seeking a political settlement, which would start with engagement, and persist with it. The new government may consider it.