An interim government takes shape in Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus
Soon after Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday, Bangladesh army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman took charge of leading the country. Nobel laureate microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus will lead Bangladesh's interim government, presidential spokesman Mohammed Shahabuddin said, Abedin told the AP on Tuesday, following consultations with student leaders who led the protests that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down. Shortly after Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday, Bangladesh army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman took charge of running the country and said an interim government would be formed soon. The military has not specified when this government will be formed and who will lead it. Yunus, 84, who is currently in Paris for a medical procedure, told AFP in a written statement that he was "honored by the faith of the protesters" who wanted him to lead the interim government. He also called for free elections to ensure lasting peace. "If action is necessary in Bangladesh, for my country and for the courage of my people, then I will take it," said Yunus, known as the "banker for the poorest of the poor." to start microcredit programs through the Grameen Bank that have helped millions of people escape poverty. "The interim government is just the beginning," he said. "Final peace will only come with free elections." Without elections there will be no change. »
Yunus said young people in Bangladesh had "expressed their need for change" and Hasina had "heard them leave the country".
Although he was praised abroad, Yunus faced more than 100 criminal cases and was tried by Hasina's government. He said the charges were politically motivated. The government forced Yunus out of the Grameen Bank five years after he and the institution received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. He has been repeatedly harassed by the government and Hasina has launched repeated attacks against him.
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