Updated: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is set to take over as interim leader of Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid mass protests.
Joyal Abedin, press secretary to Bangladeshi President Mohammad Shahabuddin, announced the decision early Wednesday morning after a meeting that included military leaders, student protest organizers, business leaders and members of civil society.
Yunus, 84, a longtime political rival of Hasina, is expected to return soon from Paris where he underwent minor surgery. The economist and banker, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work on microcredit, founded Grameen Bank in 1983, helping thousands escape poverty through microcredit.
President Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for an interim administration and fresh elections. He also ordered the release from house arrest of opposition leader Khaleda Zia, a longtime rival of Hasina who was convicted on corruption charges in 2018.
Yunus, who previously faced alleged politically motivated corruption charges during Hasina's rule, described her resignation as the country's “second liberation day”.
Anti-government protesters celebrate at Shahbag near the Dhaka University area in Dhaka on August 5, 2024. Protests in Bangladesh that began as student-led demonstrations against government employment rules in July culminated on August 5, with the prime minister fleeing and the military announcing it would form an interim government. (Photo: Monir Uz Zaman/AFP) (Photo: Monir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images)
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previously: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country. The development comes after weeks of intense protests and violent clashes across the country.
Hasina, who has been Bangladesh's president since 2009, arrived in the city of Ghaziabad in neighbouring India.
Military and State Department officials, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the resignation to The Associated Press earlier.
Bangladesh's army chief General Wakaruzzaman announced the formation of an interim government in a televised address to the nation.
In his speech, Wakiruzzaman said he would meet President Mohammad Shahabuddin, expressing hope that a “solution” would be reached by the end of the day. The army chief also revealed that he had already made contact with the country's opposition political parties.
The Wakir-e-Zaman movement has promised “justice” for all Bangladeshis, a key demand of protesters after hundreds were killed in recent weeks. The identity of the interim government's leader remains unclear at this time.
The situation in Dhaka remains volatile, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets and more expected to join them. Reports indicate that protesters have entered Hasina's official residence.
The unrest began as student protests against a quota system that reserves up to 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans of the 1971 war of independence. Protesters claimed the system was discriminatory and were instead seeking a merit-based alternative. It has since evolved into a broader anti-government movement with demonstrators demanding an end to Hasina’s 15-year rule.
Recent clashes between protesters and security forces have exacerbated the crisis. The BBC reports that at least 90 people were killed in Sunday’s clashes, while the death toll over the past month has reached around 300.
The government's attempts to suppress the demonstrations with force, curfews and internet restrictions have largely backfired, fuelling further public anger.
The army has imposed a curfew as the situation continues to evolve.
Hasina’s departure comes just months after she won her fourth straight election in January. Her main opponents boycotted the vote, raising questions about its legitimacy. Thousands of opposition members were jailed in the run-up to the vote, though the government insisted the vote was conducted democratically.
In late July, internet and mobile phone services were severely cut off in Bangladesh amid student protests.
Bangladesh's most famous film director, Mustafa Sarwar Faruqi, described the events as follows: diverse “The most beautiful part of this movement is that people from all walks of life participated, led by the youth of Generation Z. English speakers, Bengali speakers, Arabic speakers, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians all participated in the movement,” Farooqi said.
“It’s an incredible feeling, people are enjoying it,” Farooqi added. “I hope we move towards a beautiful, democratic society where there is freedom of expression, fair justice for all, no corruption, where there is artistic freedom and people can make whatever films they want without barriers and without having to worry about the script stage, ‘Can I show this?’”
Farooqui’s play “Saturday Afternoon” has been a festival hit, winning awards in Fukuoka, Moscow and Vienna. The play draws its inspiration from the brutal terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in 2016, which took place on a quiet Saturday afternoon and killed more than 20 people.
The film was initially banned but was allowed to be screened in January after a four-year battle with the Bangladesh Film Censor Board. However, the Bangladesh Ministry of Information and Broadcasting later reversed its decision.
