Muhammad Yunus sworn in as leader of Bangladesh interim gov’t

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as the leader of the transitional government in Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration resigned amidst student protests. President Mohammed Shahabuddin officiated the oath-taking ceremony for 84-year-old Yunus and his team at the presidential office in Dhaka.

The transitional government, headed by Yunus as the “chief adviser,” consists mainly of technocrats with two members from the student group that spearheaded the protests against Hasina’s government. The transition was announced by Army chief Gen. Waker-Uz-Zaman after Hasina fled to India.

Yunus, who was in France at the time of the announcement, returned to Bangladesh to assume his new role. He expressed gratitude towards the students for their efforts in saving the country during the protests.

The dissolution of the parliament elected in January under Hasina’s leadership was followed by demands from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for national elections within three months to restore power to the people’s representatives. The unrest in Bangladesh stems from massive student protests over civil service job quotas that resulted in casualties.