The presidency of bangladesh announced on Wednesday that the Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunuswill lead a interim governmentbehind the dissolution of parliament and the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s flightThe decision to “form an interim government” was taken at a meeting between the military chiefs, student leaders and the president Mohamed Shahabuddin.
The economist, who was in Europe, will arrive in the country on Thursdayhis office said in a statement. Bangladesh is experiencing a strong political and social crisis, after several weeks of protests managed to get Sheikh resigned after 15 years in power.
What will the next government of Bangladesh look like?
Muhammad Yunus84 years old, is the creator of a microcredit system for the poor and founder of the Grameen Bankwhich earned him the award Nobel Peace Prize 2006 “for his efforts to encourage social and economic development from below.” On Tuesday, the economist had already declared that he was willing to assume the leadership of an interim government.
“I have always kept politics at a distance. But today, If it is necessary to act in Bangladesh, for my country and for the courage of my people, then I will do it.“Yunus said.
The decision to recruit Yunus was taken by military chiefs, student leaders and President Shahabuddin. Nahid Islam, a leader of the student group, confirmed the decision to local journalists after a three-hour meeting at the presidency and He described the talks as “fruitful.”
Although there are no further details on how the new interim government will be formed at the moment, the President of Bangladesh expressed his intention that it “be formed as soon as possible“. It should be noted that, following the resignation of Sheikh, Shahabuddin dissolved Parliamentone of the key demands of the students, shared with the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)which also requires the called for elections within the next three months.
The reasons behind the wave of protests in Bangladesh
The country, located in South Asia, has been in the midst of a wave of protests since the beginning of July, as a result of the controversial quota system. reserved 30% of government jobs to people related to war veterans.
The first demonstrations of social discontent began with different focuses in different cities of the country, when the Supreme Court ruled, Last July 21st, the reduction of these quotas. According to the resolution, only the 5% of those jobs would be reserved for said relatives, while the 93% should be distributed by meritocracy and the The remaining 2% should be allocated to minority groups.
Throughout the month of July the mobilizations spread and other demands, such as those high cost of living and one rising youth unemployment ratejoined the protesters’ slogans. The tension continued to grow until it became a Direct call for the dismissal of Sheikhwho had won his fourth consecutive term in January of this year.
Bangladesh 3.avif
At the forefront of the claims is the Bangladesh student movementwho warned that they would continue in the streets until the Parliament will approve a bill reflecting their demands. In addition, the protesters demanded “a judicial investigation into the killings of students and others during the protests and an end to digital repression“, said the spokesperson for the student group, referring to the internet and media communications outage suffered by the Asian country.
The protests on Monday, the day Sheikh left his post, left a balance of at least minus 122 dead – according to an AFP count – in addition to hundreds of civilians injured and detained.
In light of this situation, the head of the Army, General Waker Uz Zaman, added: “The country is going through a revolutionary period. I promise everyone that we will bring justice for all the murders and injustices. We ask you to have faith in the country’s army. I take full responsibility and I assure you not to be discouraged.“.
Source: Ambito
