‘Pace of reforms will determine how soon elections will be held’
Commenting that the shorter the term of the interim government, the better, Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus said that reforms are needed before a new government is elected through elections after the ouster of dictator Sheikh Hasina.
Dr. Yunus said this in an interview with news agency AFP on Wednesday (November 13) on the sidelines of the COP29 conference in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
The pace of reforms, said Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Dr. Yunus, will determine how soon elections will be held. However, Dr. Yunus insisted that he would lead the country towards a democratic election.
Dr. Yunus said, "This is a promise that we have made. The elections will be held as soon as we are ready. And the elected people will be able to take power and run the country."
He said that, in addition to the possible constitutional reforms of the country, the country needs an urgent consensus on the structure of the government, the national parliament and the electoral rules. We are an interim government. Therefore, the term of the interim government should be as short as possible, he said.
Sheikh Hasina was overthrown on August 5 in a student-led mass uprising. Then Dr. Yunus's name was announced as the chief adviser to lead the interim government.
Initially, millions of people protested demanding a reform of the quota system in government jobs. Later, it turned into a nationwide mass movement demanding an end to Sheikh Hasina's 15-year harsh rule.
On August 5, Sheikh Hasina fled to India by helicopter. Earlier, more than 700 people were killed, many of whom lost their lives in brutal police repression.
Bangladesh has been going through an unstable situation since Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power. There have been widespread human rights violations during her rule. These include the mass arrests and extrajudicial killings of his political opponents.
Dr. Yunus said, "Any government would be concerned about stability. We are too. We hope that we can resolve this and maintain a peaceful law and order," he added.
The Nobel laureate economist said that it has only been three months since the revolution.
Bangladesh, a country of about 17 crore people, is going through a difficult financial situation. Earlier this month, Indian conglomerate Adani cut power supply in Bangladesh by half, demanding payment of about 85 crore US dollars in unpaid bills.