Dhaka, 8 August 2024 (TDI): Bangladesh Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken oath as the head of the caretaker government.
The sworn-in ceremony took place in Dhaka on Thursday – days after Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled to India in a military helicopter.
Read more: Sheikh Hasina Wajid Resigns, Flees the Country
“I will uphold, support and protect the constitution,” Yunus said as he took oath. He also vowed to perform his duties “sincerely”.
Yunus’s main responsibilities now include restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for upcoming elections.
Bangladesh’s figurehead President, Mohammed Shahabuddin, swore in Yunus as chief advisor—a role equivalent to prime minister—at a ceremony held at the presidential palace in Dhaka.
Read more: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate to Head Bangladesh’s Interim Government
The event was attended by foreign diplomats, civil society members, top business figures, and members of the former opposition party, but no representatives from Hasina’s party were present.
Sixteen other individuals have joined the interim Cabinet, mainly drawn from civil society, including two student protest leaders.
These Cabinet members were selected through discussions held this week among student leaders, civil society representatives, and the military. Hasina resigned on Monday following several chaotic weeks that began in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs, which critics claimed favoured those with connections to Hasina’s party.
