Bangladesh will form an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus (pictured above). He has called on the people to remain calm and prepare for the reconstruction of the country. This follows weeks of massive protests that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee.
At 84, Yunus is the only Nobel laureate from Bangladesh and a harsh critic of Hasina. After talks between military officials, civil leaders, and students leading the protests against Hasina, Yunus was appointed as the interim leader on the recommendation of the students.
Yunus will serve as the chief advisor to the interim government and is expected to be sworn in on Thursday along with a team of advisors. The Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh, Waker-Uz-Zaman, stated that the interim government might include 15 members, although discussions about the candidates are still ongoing.
Hasina's Awami League did not participate in the discussions led by Waker-Uz-Zaman, but Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy posted on social media platforms on Wednesday, stating that the party has not given up and is ready to negotiate with the opposition and the government.
Yunus, known as the "banker to the poor," won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for founding a bank that offers microloans to impoverished borrowers. He will return to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on Thursday, after receiving medical treatment in Paris.
"I look forward to returning to my homeland to see the situation there and how we can organize to overcome the difficulties we face," Yunus said before boarding his flight.
Hasina dramatically left the country she had ruled for 15 years on August 5.
Hasina won the elections again in January this year by arresting thousands of opposition leaders and supporters. Subsequently, in July, student protests against government job quotas escalated into massive protests, resulting in about 300 deaths and thousands of injuries.
The Hasina regime collapsed amid chaos, with crowds storming her official residence and looting it. She fled to neighboring India, taking refuge at an air force base near New Delhi.
The difficult economic conditions and political oppression in Bangladesh also fueled the protests. After years of strong growth driven by the expansion of the garment industry, this $450 billion economy is struggling with high import costs, inflation, and unemployment issues, and the government has sought assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, now appears to have returned to calm, with no new reports of violence.
Yunus and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have called for calm and an end to violence.
"Violence is our enemy. Please do not make more enemies. Stay calm and prepare to build the nation," Yunus said.
"Do not destroy, do not retaliate, do not seek revenge," Khaleda Zia, Hasina's main rival and 78-year-old BNP leader, said in a video message from her sickbed to hundreds of supporters on Wednesday.
Zia, a long-time rival of Hasina, was convicted of corruption by the Hasina government in 2018.
Zia, released from house arrest, and her exiled son Tarique Rahman spoke at the rally, calling for national elections within three months.
The President of Bangladesh, Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu, has announced the dissolution of the National Assembly to prepare for new elections.
Additionally, a court has overturned a labor case verdict against Yunus, declaring him not guilty. Yunus was sentenced to six months in prison in January for this case, which he claims was politically motivated by Hasina to suppress dissent.
"Let us make the most of our new victory," Yunus said.
