Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus , at 84 years old, has been sworn in as Bangladesh’s interim leader, pledging to “uphold, support, and protect the constitution.” He took the oath at the presidential palace in Dhaka, along with more than a dozen members of his new cabinet, and vowed to carry out his duties “sincerely.”
Muhammad Yunus arrived in Dhaka just days after Sheikh Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh with an iron fist for 15 years, fled to India. Hasina resigned as prime minister following weeks of student-led protests, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and culminated in widespread demands for her to step down.
The decision to appoint Professor Yunus as the chief adviser of the interim government came after a meeting involving President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders, and student leaders. The students had made it clear that they would not accept a military-led government and wanted Yunus to take the helm. His new cabinet includes Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, two students who played key roles in leading the anti-government protests.
There is hope that Yunus, known as the “banker for the poor,” will restore democracy in Bangladesh after years of autocratic rule. “People are excited,” Yunus told the BBC shortly after his arrival from France on Thursday. He later described the situation as Bangladesh’s “second independence” and called for the restoration of law and order in the nation of 170 million people.
Following Yunus’s swearing-in, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his “best wishes.” He stated on X/Twitter that his government is “committed” to working with Bangladesh for “peace, security, and development.”
