Bangladesh’s Yunus bids for time, says post-revolution election guide | Protests News

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has urged the nation’s “patience”, promising that national elections will be held after electoral and institutional reforms are completed in a televised address marking 100 days in office.

“I promise that we will hold the long-awaited elections once the necessary and important reforms have been completed,” said Yunus, who was tasked with leading a transitional government following the overthrow of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August.

The 84-year-old leader vowed that an electoral commission would be formed “in a few days”, but did not give a fixed date for the election, citing the need for important electoral and constitutional reforms.

“Please bear with me until then. We aim to create an electoral system that will last for decades. In this case, we need time. “

The country’s only Nobel laureate, known for his pioneering work in microfinance, Yunus has been tasked with rebuilding democratic institutions after Hasina’s 15-year rule.

Yunus was appointed as “chief adviser” on August 9, following the student-led protests that ended Hasina’s rule.

Accountability

The violent protests began in July after college students called for an end to a controversial government job quota system that they say favors supporters of the ruling party. Although Bangladesh’s highest court overturned the quota, the protests quickly turned into a broader call for the removal of Hasina’s “tyranny” regime, marked by allegations of widespread rights abuses.

The government’s response was one of the bloodiest chapters in Bangladesh’s history as security forces beat protesters, fired tear gas and live ammunition at peaceful protesters, killing more than 1,000 people in three weeks and arresting thousands more.

Yunus on Sunday said about 1,500 people were killed in the weeks of protests that toppled Hasina’s government, adding that an estimated 3,500 may have been forcibly abducted during her 15-year rule.

Yunus vowed to investigate all human rights violations, including enforced disappearances during Hasina’s rule.

The interim leader said his administration will demand that the prime minister who was expelled from India be returned to India, where he has been in exile since fleeing student-led riots in August.

“We will demand the return of Sheikh Hasina from India,” said Yunus. “I have already discussed this matter with the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan.”

An arrest warrant has been issued for Hasina, 77, who fled to India by helicopter as protesters raided her residence. He faces charges of “murder, murder, and crimes against humanity” and has been summoned to appear in court in Dhaka.

The extradition request could strain relations with India, a key regional ally that has maintained close ties with Hasina throughout her tenure.

“We should be able to resolve it peacefully between India and Bangladesh,” Yunus told Al Jazeera in an interview on the sidelines of the November 11-22 COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “We are appealing to the Indian authorities to host us, that’s fine, but please ensure that he does not cause us any problems.”

The ‘memorial’ challenge

Yunus has been talking to political parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main rival, which has called for elections in two to three months. The party believes it will form the next government as Hasina’s Awami League and its allies face a political crisis following her ouster.

“As we move forward, we need to finish a lot of work,” said Yunus in his speech. “The train will reach the last station depending on how fast we can lay the rail, and this will happen with the consensus between the political parties.”

In his interview with Al Jazeera, Yunus acknowledged the challenges ahead.

“Bangladesh has fallen into corruption because of the system we had for the past 15 years – mismanagement, mismanagement, destruction of our institutions,” he said, adding that rebuilding the system “point by point, industry by industry” would be the plan. “great deal”.

International Crisis Group analyst Thomas Kean called the challenge facing Yunus a “monument”, warning that “cracks are appearing in the fragile alliance” that ousted him.

“Currently, Yunus and his colleagues have broad support, but the expectations of many people are twofold,” Kean thought in Thursday’s report.

“If the interim administration fails to make changes, the result is likely to be snap elections with little progress; in the worst case, the military can take over. “