DHAKA:
Bangladesh’s interim leader marked one year since the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic regime by calling on Tuesday for people to seize the “opportunity” for reform.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections, announced the polls would be held in February.
He also warned against forces he said sought to roll back the democratic gains made.
“Today marks an unforgettable chapter in the history of Bangladesh,” Yunus said, describing it as “liberating our beloved nation from the grip of long-standing fascist rule”.
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, ending her 15-year rule.
Yunus later addressed crowds of thousands outside parliament, standing in the rain to issue a “proclamation” alongside leaders of key political parties. The document will be added to the country’s constitution.
“The trust of the people… as expressed by the mass uprising for addressing the political and constitutional crisis in Bangladesh is justified, legitimate and internationally recognised,” he read from the document.
“The people of Bangladesh express their desire for ensuring good governance and fair elections, rule of law and economic and social justice, and for introducing lawfully democratic reforms for all state and constitutional institutions.”
The crowd, some wearing headbands made from the national flag, and including families of those killed in the crackdown on the protests, applauded Yunus’s reading.
