https://arab.news/bmaa4
- Muhammad Yunus had threatened to quit the job if parties did not give him their backing
- Yunus has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest, but supporters of the BNP demanded he fix a date
DHAKA: Bangladesh鈥檚 Muhammad Yunus 鈥渘eeds to remain鈥� in office as interim leader to ensure a peaceful transition of power, a cabinet member and special adviser to Yunus said Friday.
Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who took over after a mass uprising last year, had threatened to quit the job if parties did not give him their backing, a political ally and sources in his office said.
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since the student-led revolt that toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, with parties protesting on the streets over a string of demands.
鈥淔or the sake of Bangladesh and a peaceful democratic transition, Professor Yunus needs to remain in office,鈥� Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, a special assistant to Yunus, and head of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, said in a post on Facebook.
鈥淭he Chief Adviser is not going to step down,鈥� he added. 鈥淗e does not hanker after power.鈥�
Bangladesh鈥檚 political crisis has escalated this week, with rival parties protesting on the streets of the capital Dhaka with a string of competing demands.
Yunus鈥檚 reported threat to stand down came after thousands of supporters of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rallied in Dhaka on Wednesday, holding large-scale protests against the interim government for the first time.
Yunus has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest, but supporters of the BNP 鈥� seen as the front-runners in highly anticipated elections that will be the first since Hasina was overthrown 鈥� demanded he fix a date.
Yunus鈥檚 relationship with the military has also reportedly deteriorated.
According to local media and military sources, powerful army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Wednesday that elections should be held by December.
Taiyeb issued a warning to the army on Friday.
鈥淭he army can鈥檛 meddle in politics,鈥� he wrote.
鈥淭he army doesn鈥檛 do that in any civilized country,鈥� he added.
鈥淏y saying that the election has to be held by December, the military chief failed to maintain his jurisdictional correctness.鈥�