AFP reports that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus returned from abroad on Friday, August 9, 2024, and was immediately sworn in as acting president of Bangladesh. By pledging to return the country to true democracy again.
Yunus pledged to “preserve, support and defend the constitution” in the presence of political and civil leaders, military generals and foreign diplomats. At the presidential palace in Dhaka
“Today is a glorious day for us. Bangladesh has created a new victory day. Bangladesh has gained its independence for the second time,” said Yunus, 84.
Yunus also wants all sectors to work together to restore order in the country. After weeks of violence that have left at least 455 people dead, they urged people to protect each other, including minorities who are under attack.
“Law and order is our first task. Because we will not be able to move forward unless we first resolve the law and order situation.”
“I would like to urge people to believe this if you trust me and please be assured that there will be no attacks on anyone in any part of the country. Because everyone is our brother. Our job is to protect them,” Yunus said, adding that “all Bangladeshis are one family.”
His acting leadership position is chief adviser to the country's administration. More than a dozen members of his staff have held advisory positions. They took part in the swearing-in ceremony together and the posts of prime minister and ministers will come only from elections.
The committee includes two senior leaders of the student group Students Against Discrimination, which has led the weeks-long protests, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmood.
Others include a former foreign minister, a former attorney general, an environmental lawyer, and Adelur Rahman Khan, a well-known human rights activist who was jailed for two years during Hasina's rule.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been accused of widespread human rights abuses, including jailing her political opponents, has been forced to flee to India since Monday as protesters flooded the streets of Dhaka.
The military then agreed to the students' demands to have Yunus, who won the Nobel Prize in 2006, head the interim government.
Younes also praised the youth group that sparked the protests and their willingness to sacrifice everything for their desire to change the country.
Neighbouring India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined in expressing good wishes for Yunus and said they were ready to work together as a legitimate government.
The United States and the European Union also expressed their readiness to work with the interim government in Bangladesh.
Under Hasina, Yunus faces more than 100 criminal cases and has been vilified by the country's Islamic authorities, who accuse him of promoting homosexuality.
Yunus travelled abroad this year on bail after serving a six-month sentence on charges that were denounced as politically motivated, but after Hasina left power, a Dhaka court acquitted him of the charges on Wednesday.
Bangladeshis are hoping for a new future after this. Many important politicians are ready to build a new democratic foundation with the interim government.
Monday’s incident was the culmination of more than a month of unrest. It began as a protest against government job quota plans but eventually morphed into an anti-Hasina movement.
Analysts say the protests were a historic moment in Bangladesh’s history. The country risks becoming a one-party state. Thanks to a peaceful street movement led by Generation Z students, they were able to force Hasina to give up her 15-year grip on power.