Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has announced his resignation, paving the way for a new government to take over. In a farewell broadcast to the nation on Monday, Yunus said the interim government he oversees “is stepping down”.
Yunus, an 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, has overseen the country’s post-uprising transition since 2024. He returned from self-imposed exile in August 2024 to serve as Bangladesh’s chief adviser after a student-led uprising toppled the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh held its first general elections since that uprising on February 12, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, won a landslide victory. Rahman is set to serve as prime minister of the incoming government when it is sworn in on Tuesday, according to Bangladeshi media.
Yunus praised the recent elections, which European Union observers called “credible and competently managed” as a “benchmark for future elections”. “The people, voters, political parties, and stakeholder institutions linked to the election have set a commendable example,” Yunus said.
Democracy and Reforms
Rahman’s BNP-led alliance won at least 212 seats in the 300-seat parliament, giving it a strong mandate to lead. In addition to electing their new representatives, Bangladeshi voters also endorsed sweeping democratic reforms in a national referendum.
The reforms, known as the “July Charter”, propose term limits for prime ministers, the creation of an upper house of parliament, stronger presidential powers, and greater judicial independence. “Sweeping away the ruins, we rebuilt institutions and set the course for reforms,” said Yunus, praising the reforms.
However, several parties raised questions before the vote, and the reforms will still require ratification by the new parliament. “The challenge now is to ensure good governance, law and order, and public safety, and to establish a rights-based state, which was at the heart of the aspirations of the 2024 mass uprising,” Rezaul Karim Rony, a Dhaka-based political analyst, told Al Jazeera.
Source: Al Jazeera
