Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was appointed to head a caretaker government in Bangladesh after longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid widespread riots that have left hundreds dead and pushed the country to the brink of chaos.
The decision was announced early Wednesday by Joynal Abedin, spokesman for the country’s nominal president, Mohammed Shahabuddin, and taken during a meeting that included military chiefs, organisers of the student movement that helped oust Hasina from power, prominent business leaders and members of civil society.
Yunus, a long-time political rival of Prime Minister Hasina, is due to return to the country on Thursday from Paris, where he is an adviser to the Olympic organising committee, and also be sworn in as the caretaker government.
Yunus’ lawyer told the Guardian that a Dhaka court had overturned his labour conviction – one of many charges brought against him in court – which Yunus claims are part of a campaign of legal harassment instigated by Prime Minister Hasina.
Yunus, an economist and banker, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in developing the microcredit market. He is credited with lifting thousands of people out of poverty through Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983. Grameen Bank provides small loans to businesspeople who would not qualify for regular bank loans.
Abedin said the other members of the new government would be decided in the coming days following consultations with political parties and other stakeholders. The president dissolved parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for a caretaker government and new elections.
Shahabuddin 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 called Hasina’s resignation a “second Liberation Day” and faced corruption charges under her rule, condemned them as politically motivated. He was not immediately available for comment, but Nahid Islam, a key protest organizer, said he had agreed to head a caretaker government.
Islam said the protesters would propose new members for the cabinet, suggesting it would be difficult for those in power to ignore their wishes.
Protesters defied a military curfew and marched into the capital, eventually forcing Hasina to flee to India by helicopter after thousands of them stormed her residence and buildings linked to her party and family.
The news that Yunus would head the caretaker government came amid reports that on the eve of Hasina’s flight, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman had told Hasina’s office that the military would not be able to enforce a curfew she had called for during the protests.
Reuters reported that President Hasina’s army commander met with his generals and decided that the military would not open fire on civilians to enforce the lockdown, according to two serving army officers with knowledge of the discussions.
On Monday, Prime Minister Hasina resigned and fled the country after at least 300 people were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations that began as student protests against preferential employment quotas and escalated into a movement calling for her to step down.
The students alleged that the quota system unfairly allocates government jobs to the descendants of freedom fighters from the 1971 independence war. Violence worsened on Sunday, when 91 people were killed in clashes across the country, making it the deadliest day since protests began in July.
Zaman has not publicly explained his decision to withdraw his support for Hasina, and Hasina could not be reached for comment. Her son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, also did not respond to repeated requests for comment, according to Reuters.
But on Tuesday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Hasina appeared to have decided to resign after meeting security leaders. She then made a sudden request to the Indian government for permission to enter India, and Bangladeshi authorities also sought permission to travel. The latest information was that she is still in India.
Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh for 20 of the past 30 years, was elected to a fourth term in January to lead the nation of 170 million people after arresting thousands of opposition leaders and workers in an election that was boycotted by her main rivals.
Reuters contributed to this report.
