Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus sworn in as Bangladesh’s interim leader after unrest
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath of office as head of Bangladesh’s interim government Thursday after an uprising prompted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee to India.
The key tasks for Yunus now are restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for new elections following weeks of violence in which student activists led an uprising against what was considered Hasina’s increasingly autocratic 15-year rule.
Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief advisor, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, in the presence of foreign diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka. No representatives of Hasina’s party were present.
Sixteen other people have been included in the interim Cabinet with members drawn mainly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders. The Cabinet members were chosen in discussions this week among student leaders, civil society representatives and the military.
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Hasina quit Monday after several chaotic weeks that began in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs that critics said favored people with connections to Hasina’s party. But the demonstrations soon grew into a bigger challenge for Hasina’s 15-year rule, as more than 300 people including students were killed amid spiraling violence.
Yunus, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets, was in the French capital for the 2024 Olympics when he was chosen for the interim role, and returned home earlier Thursday to tight security at the airport in Dhaka.
In his first comments after his arrival, he told a news briefing that his priority would be to restore order. “Bangladesh is a family. We have to unite it,” Yunus said, flanked by student leaders. “It has immense possibility.”
The president had dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the path for the interim administration.
Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy has vowed that his family and the Awami League party would continue to be engaged in Bangladesh’s politics.
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Yunus has been a longtime opponent of Hasina, who had called him a “bloodsucker,” alleging he used force to extract loan repayments from rural poor people, mainly women. Yunus has denied the allegations.
The chaos on Bangladesh’s streets continued. Overnight into Thursday, residents across Dhaka carried sticks, iron rods and sharp weapons to guard their neighborhoods amid reports of robberies. Police remained off duty. The military shared hotline numbers for people seeking help.
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The unrest began in mid-July with protests over the quota system, but grew into a broader challenge over an administration marked by human rights abuses, corruption, allegations of rigged elections and a brutal crackdown on opponents.
Many fear that Hasina’s departure could trigger even more instability in the densely populated nation of some 170 million people, which is already dealing with high unemployment, corruption and a complex strategic relationship with India, China and the United States.
Hasina, 76, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January, in an election boycotted by her main opponents. Thousands of opposition members were jailed before the vote, and the U.S. and U.K. denounced the result as not credible.
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