Bangladesh President dissolves parliament
Chaos Days in Bangladesh: Army Chief Promises Quick Transition Government After PM Hasina's Escape. President Dissolves Parliament Amid Threats of Further Protests. Students Demand Nobel Peace Prize Laureate as Interim PM.
Following the resignation and escape of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh, President Mohammad Shahabuddin has dissolved the parliament. This came after several student protest organizers threatened further demonstrations if the parliament was not dissolved. One of the student protest organizers, Nahid Islam, has suggested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus as the head of an interim government. In a social media post, Islam said that the student protest leaders have already spoken to Yunus, who has agreed to take on the role of interim prime minister in the current situation.
"Any government other than the one we propose will not be accepted," Islam said in a Facebook video with three other organizers. The protesters will announce more names for the government, he said, and reiterated that the current leadership would find it difficult to ignore their demands.
Nobel Laureate Yunus Shunned by Hasina
Since Hasina's escape, President Mohammad Shahabuddin and army chief General Waker-Us-Zaman have been working towards forming an interim government and have promised to meet with the student protest leaders. However, Islam reiterated that the protesters will not accept any government "supported or led by the military."
The student-proposed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yunus was targeted with corruption allegations under Hasina's rule. He received the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his work with the Grameen Bank, providing microloans to people without income security and helping them out of poverty. He dismissed the corruption allegations as acts of revenge.
The protests were sparked by the planned introduction of a quota system in government jobs, reserving half of all positions for the descendants of soldiers, women, and people from poorer regions. The weeks-long demonstrations and storming of the government seat have already resulted in over 56 deaths.
In light of the dissolution of the parliament, the student protest leaders have made it clear that they will not accept any government "supported or led by the military," as stated by Nahid Islam in a Facebook video. Furthermore, the protesters are planning to announce more names for the interim government, indicating that the current leadership may find it challenging to ignore their demands, given the ongoing protests.
