In a significant political development, Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate and renowned social entrepreneur, has been sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government. The ceremony took place on Thursday at the presidential palace in Dhaka, where Muhammad Yunus took the oath as Chief Advisor, a role equivalent to that of a prime minister. The event was attended by a range of political and civil society leaders, as well as diplomats and military officials.
The formation of this interim government comes in the wake of significant unrest and protests that led to the end of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. Muhammad Yunus, at 84 years old, is set to lead the country through a transitional period and oversee the upcoming elections aimed at restoring democratic governance.
The interim government is comprised of a 16-member advisory council, with members appointed for their diverse expertise and backgrounds. The council includes Brigadier General (retd) M. Sakhawat Hossain, women’s rights activist Farida Akhtar, deputy chief of the right-wing Hefazat-e-Islam party AFM Khalid Hossain, and Grameen Telecom trustee Nurjahan Begum. Other notable members include freedom fighter Sharmeen Murshid, Supradip Chakma, chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, Professor Bidhan Ranjan Roy, and former foreign secretary Touhid Hossain.
The advisory council also features prominent figures from the recent student-led protests, such as Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, who were instrumental in the demonstrations against the previous government.
The political turmoil that led to Muhammad Yunus’s appointment began with protests over perceived electoral irregularities and controversial government policies. Following the January 7 elections, which saw Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League winning in a landslide, allegations of a flawed electoral process ignited widespread discontent.
The situation escalated in June when a Bangladeshi high court’s reinstatement of a reservation quota for government jobs sparked further unrest. The subsequent protests, marked by severe clashes and violence, have resulted in over 450 fatalities. The unrest reached a critical point when student-led protests intensified, demanding Hasina’s resignation. The violence culminated in a significant confrontation that led to Hasina’s resignation and subsequent departure to India.
The new interim government, under Muhammad Yunus’s leadership, is tasked with managing the country during this period of instability and preparing for a transition to a democratically elected government.
