Yunus interim government

Yunus interim government
22nd Cabinet of Bangladesh
Date formed	8 August 2024
People and organisations
President	Mohammed Shahabuddin
Chief Adviser	Muhammad Yunus
Total no. of members	17
History
Predecessor	Fifth Hasina ministry

An interim government in Bangladesh was formed on 8 August 2024, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 due to student protests against the government. Following the dissolution of parliament on 6 August 2024, the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, will remain in office until the holding of snap parliamentary elections. The cabinet is similar to the caretaker government system.

Background

This section is an excerpt from Non-cooperation movement (2024).[edit]

People cheering in front of the prime minister's office after Sheikh Hasina's resignation

The non-cooperation movement, also known as the one-point movement, was a protest against the government of Bangladesh, initiated within the framework of the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. The sole demand of this movement was the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet.

Although initially limited to the goal of reforming quotas in government jobs, the movement snowballed into a mass anti-government uprising after the deaths of several protesters. The movement was also fueled by ongoing socio-economic and political issues, including the government's mismanagement of the national economy, rampant corruption by government officials, human rights violations, allegations of undermining the country's sovereignty by Sheikh Hasina, and increasing authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.

On 3 August 2024, coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement announced a one-point demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister and her cabinet and called for "comprehensive non-cooperation". The following day, violent clashes broke out, resulting in the deaths of 97 people, including students. The coordinators called for a long march to Dhaka to force Hasina out of power on 5 August. That day, a large crowd of protesters made its way through the capital. At 2:30 p.m. BST, Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, her biggest ally. Widespread celebrations and violence occurred following her removal, while the military and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government led by economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Meanwhile, Indian media was seen engaging in a widespread disinformation campaign aimed at destabilizing Bangladesh following Hasina's resignation and departure to India.

Members

Heads of the state and the government

Position	Name	Portrait	Offices held
President	Mohammed Shahabuddin
Chief Adviser	Muhammad Yunus		Prime Minister's Office, Cabinet Division, Armed Forces Division, Ministries of Defence, Education, Road Transport and Bridges, Food, Housing and Public Works, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Railways, Public Administration, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Shipping, Water Resources, Women and Children Affairs, Disaster Management and Relief, Information and Broadcasting, Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment, Commerce, Labour and Employment, Cultural Affairs, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Liberation War Affairs, Land and Textiles and Jute

The following lists the advisers of the interim government:

Name	Position before	Offices held
Salehuddin Ahmed	Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank	Ministries of Finance and Planning
Asif Nazrul	Faculty member of law at the University of Dhaka	Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs
Md. Touhid Hossain	Former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh	Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Rizwana Hasan	Chief Executive of BELA	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Nahid Islam	Key co-ordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement	Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology
Asif Mahmud	Key co-ordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement	Ministry of Youth and Sports
M Sakhawat Hossain	Retired Brigadier General of Bangladesh Army, former Election Commissioner of Bangladesh	Ministry of Home Affairs
A F M Khalid Hossain	Professor & Deputy Amir of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh	Ministry of Religious Affairs
Nurjahan Begum	Former acting managing director, Grameen Bank	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Adilur Rahman Khan	Former Deputy Attorney General of Bangladesh and founder of Odhikar	Ministry of Industries
A. F. Hassan Ariff	Former Attorney General of Bangladesh	Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives
Farida Akhter	Founding executive, UBINIG	Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
Sharmeen Murshid	Chief Executive Officer of Brotee	Ministry of Social Welfare
Supradip Chakma	Chairman, Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board	Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs
Bidhan Ranjan Roy	Former Director-cum-Professor, National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital	Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
Faruk-e-Azam	Veteran of Bangladesh Liberation War, Bir Protik	TBD

Reactions

Internal

• The nomination of Yunus, who accepted an offer to advise the interim government, has been supported by key figures in the student movement. Anti-discrimination student movement coordinator Nahid Islam (who later became an adviser to the interim government) said on 6 August 2024,

  We have decided that the interim government would be formed in which internationally renowned Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, who has wide acceptability, would be the chief adviser

  — Nahid Islam,

• Sajeeb Wazed, the son of Sheikh Hasina told ANI:

  We want a quick restoration of democracy. Right now, this government is completely unconstitutional. There is no provision for a selected government selected by a small minority because we have 170 million people in Bangladesh, and 20,000-50,000 protesters are a tiny fraction of the minority. No one has voted for this government. So whether they can restore law and order remains to be seen ...It's one thing to take over power in a coup; it's another thing to govern. They don't have the people's bandwidth. Who is going to listen to them? Right now, there are two main political parties in Bangladesh. No matter what you do, if you want democracy with 170 million people... we have 100 million followers. They have not voted for or supported this government. So without their support, how are you going to govern? I wait to see who is going to listen to this government. It's one thing to be placed in power. It's another thing to have people following you.

  — Sajeeb Wazed,

International

• China welcomed the formation of the interim government. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said, "China has noted the establishment of an interim government of Bangladesh and welcomes this".

• European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, "The EU looks forward to engaging with the new administration and to supporting this critical transition which should be part of a peaceful and inclusive process underpinned by good governance, democratic values and respect for human rights".

• India
  • Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi congratulated Yunus after he was sworn in as a chief of the interim government. Modi said, "We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities".
  • Leader of Opposition of India Rahul Gandhi, congratulated Yunus on being sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government.

• President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu congratulated Yunus on assuming office.

• Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif wished Yunus great success in guiding Bangladesh towards a harmonious and prosperous future. He looks forward to working with him to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

• President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Yunus. Erdoğan described Yunus as "a friend of Islam and Turkey", adding that "Turkey will continue to provide support in this turbulent time".

• Spokesperson for the United States Department of State Matthew Miller told reporters: "We welcome Dr. Yunus's call for an end to the recent violence and we stand ready to work with the interim government and Dr. Yunus as it charts a democratic future for the people of Bangladesh."

• Prime minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Yunus on his appointment as Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.

• Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the interim government of Dr. Yunus.

• Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Mélanie Joly welcomed the inauguration of the interim government in Bangladesh led by Dr. Yunus.

See also

• Non-cooperation movement (2024)
• Elections in Bangladesh
• List of cabinets of Bangladesh