Demanded by protesters Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead transitional government in Bangladesh
Following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, one of the protest leaders is calling on Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead a caretaker government.
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- The army is currently in power in Bangladesh. The prime minister has resigned and parliament has been dissolved.
- Following the demands of the student leaders of the protests, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus will lead an interim government.
- After weeks of demonstrations, which reached a climax on Monday with the storming of Prime Minister Hasina's palace and her flight abroad, the situation on the streets of the capital Dhaka was mainly calm in the morning.
This article was last updated at 22:01.
Bangladesh is facing uncertain times following the resignation of long-serving and increasingly autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is now to lead the transitional government in Bangladesh. This was announced by the office of President Mohammed Shahabuddin early Wednesday morning (local time). Yunus had previously agreed to take over as interim head of government following the flight of head of government Sheikh Hasina due to mass protests.
According to observers, power in the country with the second largest textile industry in the world currently lies with the army. Parliament has been dissolved.
According to student leader Nahid Islam, it was the explicit wish of the demonstrators that Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus should lead a transitional government. It should remain in power until new elections are announced. It is unclear when this will happen.
"Yunus is seen by the students as an independent man who can best represent the interests of the people," Bangladesh expert Thomas Kean from the non-governmental Crisis Group told the German Press Agency.
Yunus and his Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for helping many people escape poverty with small loans.
Relative calm after violence
After weeks of demonstrations, which reached a climax on Monday with the storming of the palace of head of government Hasina and her flight abroad, the situation on the streets of the capital Dhaka was mostly calm in the morning. A curfew imposed by Hasina was lifted again. However, there were only a few people on the streets - partly out of concern that clashes could break out again.
According to reports, there was further violence the night before. More than a hundred people were killed across the country, local media reported, citing local authorities and others. Most of the victims were said to be Hasina's supporters.
According to reports, protesters also stormed and looted the homes of party members of Hasina's Awami League.
Ex-prime minister released from house arrest
Hasina was head of government for the past 15 years without interruption. Human rights organizations accused her of targeting critics. Thousands were arrested. "One reason for the broad support for the protest movement is the fact that the country has not seen elections with real competition for 15 years," explained expert Kean.
The current crisis is an opportunity to lead the country back towards real democracy. He also hopes for reforms.
Meanwhile, the office of President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced that Hasina's former head of government and political rival, Khaleda Zia, had been released after years under house arrest - just days before her 79th birthday. She was initially jailed in 2018 following allegations of embezzling funds intended for orphans.
She was later placed under house arrest. It was also announced that demonstrators arrested in the course of the protests would be released. According to local media reports, more than ten thousand people have been arrested in recent weeks.
During the protests since July, students had initially criticized the planned reintroduction of a controversial quota system for jobs in the public sector, which was later reversed by the Supreme Court. However, the unrest also spread afterwards.
More and more sections of the population demanded Hasina's resignation. The head of government tried to put down the protests with all possible force. She ordered curfews, temporarily blocked the internet and sent police and army across the country. According to local media reports, more than 300 people were killed in clashes with demonstrators.
"Hasina sealed her fate when she decided to respond to the protests with brutality and arrogance instead of engaging in serious dialog with the protest leaders," said Crisis Group expert Kean.