https://arab.news/wc2ha
- The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since ex-PM Hasina was ousted by student-led protests in 2024
- Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who returned from exile at the behest of protesters, says he has a duty to implement reforms
DHAKA: Bangladesh鈥檚 interim government, which took over after a mass uprising last year, warned on Saturday that unity was needed to 鈥減revent the return of authoritarianism.鈥�
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by student-led protests in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years.
After a week of escalation during which rival parties protested on the streets of the capital Dhaka, the government led by Muhammad Yunus said political power struggles risked jeopardizing gains that have been made and pleaded for people to give it their full support.
鈥淏roader unity is essential to maintain national stability, organize free and fair elections, justice, and reform, and permanently prevent the return of authoritarianism in the country,鈥� it said in a statement.
Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who returned from exile at the behest of protesters last year, says he has a duty to implement democratic reforms before elections that are due by June 2026 at the latest.
However, the government warned that it had faced 鈥渦nreasonable demands, deliberately provocative and jurisdictionally overreaching statements,鈥� which it said had been 鈥渃ontinuously obstructing鈥� its work.
Sources in his office and a key political ally said on Thursday that microfinance pioneer Yunus had threatened to quit.
鈥淚f the government鈥檚 autonomy, reform efforts, justice process, fair election plan, and normal operations are obstructed to the point of making its duties unmanageable, it will, with the people, take the necessary steps,鈥� Saturday鈥檚 statement said, without giving further details.
Wahiduddin Mahmud, who heads the finance and planning ministry, insisted that Yunus will not step down early.
鈥淲e are going to carry out the responsibilities assigned to us,鈥� Mahmud told reporters on Saturday. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 simply abandon our duties.鈥�
Yunus held talks on Saturday evening with key political parties, including those who have protested against the government this month.
His press secretary Shafiqul Alam insisted that the parties all had 鈥渇ull trust鈥� in Yunus, with an all-party meeting scheduled for Sunday.
Yunus met leaders of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the election front-runners, who are pushing hard for polls to be held by December.
鈥淎ny excuse to delay the election may open the door for the return of dictatorship,鈥� senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said after the meeting.
鈥淭he interim government and its allies will be held responsible for such a consequence.鈥�
Yunus has said polls could be held as early as December but that holding them later 鈥� with the deadline of June 鈥� would give the government more time for reform.
But Hossain said that reforms, justice and elections were not 鈥渕utually exclusive goals.鈥�
According to Bangladeshi media and military sources, army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman also said this week that elections should be held by December, aligning with BNP demands.
Bangladesh has a long history of military coups, and the army retains a powerful role.
The upcoming elections will be the first since Hasina fled to India, where she remains in self-imposed exile in defiance of an arrest warrant to face trial for crimes against humanity related to last year鈥檚 police crackdown on protesters, during which at least 1,400 people were killed.
Shafiqur Rahman, the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim-majority nation鈥檚 largest religious party, said after his meeting with Yunus that he had asked for an election timetable 鈥� saying he was open to a later date if it allowed for reforms.
He also said he had sought 鈥減rogress in the ongoing trials鈥� of those from Hasina鈥檚 ousted regime.
Nahid Islam, leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising that ended Hasina鈥檚 rule, has said he wants later elections to allow time for 鈥渇undamental reforms.鈥�
He fears rival parties want swift elections to 鈥渁ssume power.鈥�
Speaking after meeting with Yunus, he said the NCP had 鈥渄emanded a specific roadmap for reforms, trials, and the election of a constituent assembly.鈥�
Islam, an ally of Yunus who previously served in his cabinet, speaking earlier on Saturday, warned that he had seen 鈥渋ndications鈥� that a 鈥渕ilitary-backed government could re-emerge 鈥� one that is anti-democratic and anti-people.鈥�