Nobel Prize winner Yunus leads Bangladesh to elections
Prime Minister Hasina takes refuge in India after being ousted by protesting students from Bangladesh. Nobel Peace laureate Yunus now initiates a fresh start. He agrees to lead a transitional government until elections are held.
Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus is set to lead the transitional government in Bangladesh. President Mohammed Shahabuddin made this decision during a meeting with the military leadership and representatives of the student organization SAD, as announced by the presidential office early Wednesday morning (local time). Yunus had agreed to lead the transitional government after leaders of SAD called on him to do so. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on Monday due to the weeks-long mass protests led by students, which resulted in numerous deaths.
Shahabuddin assured that the transitional government would be formed "as soon as possible," said student leader Nahid Islam following the meeting with the president. Meanwhile, the national police chief was dismissed in connection with the violent clashes and numerous deaths during the protests, the presidential office further announced.
Hasina fled Bangladesh on Monday after 15 years in power and weeks of mass protests, some of which turned violent with hundreds of deaths. Prior to her departure, protesters had stormed her official residence and set fire to television stations. Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman then announced the formation of a transitional government, stating, "It's time to put an end to the violence." Shahabuddin subsequently dissolved the parliament.
Over a hundred legal cases against Yunus
Before Shahabuddin's decision, Yunus emphasized that the transitional government was "just the beginning. True reconciliation can only come through free elections. Without elections, there will be no change." The 84-year-old had long been a political opponent of Hasina. More than a hundred legal cases were brought against him, which supporters criticized as political persecution.
Yunus founded the Grameen Bank in the 1980s, which provides microloans to the poorest people in Bangladesh. In 2006, the economist was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this work.
The transitional government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus is tasked with overseeing elections in Bangladesh. Following Hasina's departure, accusations of political persecution against Yunus lessened, as many of the over a hundred legal cases against him were no longer an issue.
