Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has returned to Bangladesh to lead an interim government, following a student-led uprising that ended the 15-year rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus, 84, touched down in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, arriving from Paris via Dubai. He is expected to be sworn in as the country’s new leader as soon as Thursday evening, as the military has vowed to oversee a “beautiful democratic process.”
The prospect of Yunus, a renowned microfinance pioneer, leading an interim government alongside military leaders would have been unimaginable just a week ago, when security forces cracked down violently on protesters demanding Hasina’s resignation.
However, the military turned against Hasina over the weekend, leading to her fleeing to neighboring India as millions of Bangladeshis celebrated her downfall.
Army Chief General Wakeruz Zaman expressed his support for Yunus, saying he is “certain that he will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process.” Yunus has stated that he hopes to hold elections within a few months.
The protests that led to Hasina’s ouster began over a month ago as demonstrations against a plan for quotas in government jobs, but eventually morphed into a broader anti-Hasina movement. At least 455 people were killed in the unrest, according to an AFP tally.
Bangladeshis have voiced hope for the country’s future under Yunus’ interim leadership, with one protester saying, “I expect that a national government will be formed with everyone’s consent in a beautiful way.”
