Interim leader Muhammad Yunus takes the helm in Bangladesh

By Julhas Alam, DHAKA Bangladesh

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath of office as head of Bangladesh’s interim government Thursday after protests forced out former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this week.

Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath of office to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, right, as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.

The key tasks for Yunus now are restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for new elections following the ouster of Hasina, who fled to India after weeks of student protests over job quotas grew into an uprising against her increasingly autocratic 15-year rule.

The figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief adviser, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, in the presence of diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka. No representatives of Hasina’s party were present.

The 16 other members of the interim Cabinet were drawn mainly from civil society and include two of the student protest leaders. The Cabinet members were chosen in discussions this week among student leaders, civil society representatives and the military.

The protests began in July against a quota system for government jobs that critics said favored people with connections to Hasina’s party. But she resigned and fled to India on Monday after the protests coalesced into a movement against her government and more than 300 people including students and police officers were killed in the spiraling violence.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his best wishes to Yunus in a statement on social media platform X, and alluded to reports that Hindus in Muslim-majority Bangladesh had been targeted during the violence.

“We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities,” Modi said. “India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfill the shared aspirations of both our peoples for peace, security and development.”

Yunus, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets, was in Paris for the Olympics when he was chosen for the interim role. He called for calm and an end to partisan violence before he returned home earlier Thursday.

In his first comments after his arrival, he told a news briefing that his priority would be to restore order. “Bangladesh is a family. We have to unite it,” Yunus said, flanked by student leaders. “It has immense possibility.”

Yunus has been a longtime opponent of Hasina, who had called him a “bloodsucker” allegedly for using force to extract loan repayments from rural poor, mainly women. Yunus has denied the allegations.

On Wednesday, a tribunal in Dhaka acquitted Yunus in a labor law violation case involving a telecommunication company he founded, in which he was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail. He had been released on bail in the case.

The president had dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the path for the interim administration.

The quick move to select Yunus came when Hasina’s resignation created a vacuum and left the future unclear for Bangladesh, which has a history of military rule and myriad crises.

Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who acts as an adviser to his mother, has vowed that his family and the Awami League party would remain engaged in Bangladesh’s politics despite what he said have been attacks on the Awami League party over the past week. Many observers see Joy as Hasina’s successor in a dynastic political culture that dominates the South Asian nation’s politics.

“If we want to build a new Bangladesh, it is not possible without the Awami League,” he said. “The Awami League is the oldest, democratic, and largest party in Bangladesh.”

Army soldiers keep guard in front of the President’s official residence during the oath taking ceremony of the interim government in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Hasina, 76, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January, but the vote was boycotted by her main opponents, thousands of opposition members were jailed beforehand, and the U.S. and U.K. denounced the result as not credible. Hasina’s critics say her administration increasingly was marked by human rights abuses and corruption.

The chaos on Bangladesh’s streets continued after her resignation on Monday. Dozens of police officers were killed, prompting police to stop working across the country. They threatened not to return unless their safety is ensured.

Overnight into Thursday, residents across Dhaka carried sticks, iron rods and sharp weapons to guard their neighborhoods amid reports of robberies. Communities used loudspeakers in mosques to alert people that robberies were occurring, and police remained off duty. The military shared hotline numbers for people seeking help.

Many have feared Hasina’s departure could trigger even more instability in the nation of some 170 million people, already dealing with high unemployment, corruption and a complex strategic relationship with India, China and the United States.

China and the United States have both welcomed the new government.

“We think the interim government will play a vital role in establishing long-term peace and political stability in Bangladesh,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. He also reiterated that the government’s decisions “should respect democratic principles, rule of law, and the will of the Bangladeshi people.”

China said it stood ready to work with Bangladesh to promote bilateral cooperation and advance their strategic partnership. “We respect Bangladesh’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and the development path independently chosen by the Bangladeshi people,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.