Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will lead Bangladesh's interim government after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid a mass uprising that killed hundreds and pushed the country to the brink of chaos.
The decision was announced on Wednesday morning by Joynal Abedin, press secretary to President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who attended a meeting attended by senior military officers, student protesters, business leaders and civil society members. Yunus is a long-time political opponent of Hasina. He is expected to return soon from Paris, where he is an adviser to the Olympic organizing committee, according to media reports.
An economist and banker, he was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in developing the microcredit market. Yunus is credited with lifting thousands of people out of poverty through the Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983, which provides small loans to business people who do not qualify for regular bank loans.
Other members of the new government will be decided soon, after discussions with political parties and other stakeholders, Abedin said. The president dissolved Parliament on Tuesday (Aug. 6), paving the way for a caretaker government and new elections.
Shahabuddin also ordered the release from house arrest of opposition leader Khaleda Zia, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2018.
The streets of the capital Dhaka were calm on Tuesday, a day after violence swept across parts of the country amid Hasina's ouster. On the same day, jubilant protesters thronged the ousted leader's residence, some of whom were seen taking selfies with soldiers guarding the building after a wave of looting on Monday. (th/ab)
