Muhammad Yunus takes oath of office as head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government

Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as head of Bangladesh's interim government, a few days after a weeks-long massive uprising forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.

Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin conducted the swearing-in ceremony of Yunus, 84, as chief advisor, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, at the presidential palace in the capital Dhaka on Thursday evening.

Foreign diplomats, civil society figures, prominent businessmen, and former opposition party members were present at the event but no representatives of Hasina’s party were in attendance.

“I will uphold, support and protect the constitution and will perform my duties sincerely,” Yunus said at the swearing-in event, which comes at a tumultuous time for the South Asian country, which experienced weeks of unrest that claimed the lives of at least 366 people.

The protests, mostly held by students, began in early July against a quota system that reserved over half of all government jobs for certain groups. The unrest later escalated into wider calls for the resignation of longtime premier Hasina, who finally stepped down and fled the country.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus returns to crisis-hit Bangladesh to form interim government

Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus has returned to Bangladesh to lead an interim government following days of bloody unrest.

The Bangladeshi entrepreneur, banker, economist, civil society leader, and now the chief advisor of the country, has a bumpy road ahead with his key tasks being restoring peace in the crisis-hit country and preparing for new elections.

Earlier, Yunus had stressed that he wanted to hold elections “within a few” months.

Yunus had traveled abroad this year while on bail after being sentenced to six months in jail over charges of labor law violations, which he had rejected as politically motivated allegations. A Dhaka court on Wednesday acquitted him of all the charges.

“Be calm and get ready to build the country,” Yunus said on Wednesday in a statement before beginning his journey back home from the French capital, where he had been undergoing medical treatment. “If we take the path of violence, everything will be destroyed.”

Sixteen other people have been included in the interim Cabinet with members selected chiefly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders.

Bangladesh under control of military after Hasina resigns, flees

The military has taken power in Bangladesh after the longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee following mass protests.

Millions of Bangladeshis took to the streets of the capital on Monday to celebrate the resignation of Hasina. However, the festivities were marred by violence, with protesters carrying out revenge attacks on Hasina's allies, storming parliament and setting fire to multiple buildings, including television stations.

Bangladesh has a long history of political upheaval and coups.

In 2007, the military staged a coup after widespread political unrest and backed a caretaker government that ruled the country for two years until Hasina took power. 

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