Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus has called for “stability” and new elections in Bangladesh after agreeing to lead an interim government following the sudden ousting of prime minister Sheikh Hasina this week.
Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country of 170 million people for the past 15 years, resigned and fled to neighbouring India on Monday after thousands of protesters defied a curfew to march on her residence following weeks of violence and demonstrations.
A movement that began with students had escalated into an anti-government uprising against 76-year-old Ms Hasina’s repressive rule, after she ordered a violent crackdown on the protests that led to about 300 deaths. Political turmoil over the weekend continued on Monday, with widespread looting and arson attacks on buildings associated with Ms Hasina’s Awami League party.
Mr Yunus, the internationally celebrated founder of microfinance lender Grameen Bank, said on Wednesday that he had agreed to lead an interim government to fill the precarious power vacuum that followed Ms Hasina’s departure.
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“It is critical that trust in government be restored quickly,” Mr Yunus (84) said in a statement. “We need calm, we need a roadmap to new elections, and we need to get to work to prepare for new leadership in order to fulfil the extraordinary potential of Bangladesh.”
Student leaders had requested Mr Yunus’s involvement in the new administration amid concerns in Bangladeshi civil society about the possible role of the military in the country’s political future.
Bangladesh’s military has long intervened in domestic politics through coups and dictatorships, and army chief Waker-uz-Zaman said in a press conference on Monday after Ms Hasina’s departure that he would also be engaged in talks to form the new government.
Mr Yunus, who was subjected to multiple investigations and court cases under Ms Hasina that his supporters called politically motivated, said he was reluctant to accept the students’ request but ultimately agreed.
“Given the sacrifices of the students, especially those who have lost their lives for our nation’s liberation, I am not in a position to say no to them,” Mr Yunus said.
“In the coming days, I will talk with all of the relevant parties about how we can work together to rebuild Bangladesh and how they can help,” he added. “I have no intention to seek any elected or appointed office beyond this role during this interim period.”
[ The Irish Times view on upheaval in Bangladesh: choosing the way forwardOpens in new window ]
Many Bangladeshis hope his appointment and swift elections will bring an end to one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s 53-year history.
Ms Hasina comfortably won elections in January after rounding up thousands of political rivals, a result criticised by the US and others.
She had faced growing popular dissatisfaction over a painful economic slowdown after years of rapid growth helped in part by the country’s garments export sector, the world’s second-largest after China. Bangladesh is an important supplier to companies such as H&M and Zara.
The student protests last month initially called for reform to a controversial job quota system, which they said benefited supporters of the Awami League, before spiralling into a broader anti-government movement. The ensuing upheaval upended the economy and forced factories to shut for days.
India’s foreign minister confirmed that New Delhi had agreed to receive Ms Hasina on Monday “at very short notice”. She is now reportedly seeking shelter in a third country. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024