Interim chief says first nationwide polls since overthrow of Sheikh Hasina to be held in February.
Bangladesh’s interim chief, Muhammad Yunus, has unveiled a roadmap of democratic reforms because the nation marks a yr since a mass uprising toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Rallies, concert events and prayer periods had been held within the capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday as individuals within the South Asian nation celebrated what many called the country’s “second liberation” after its independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The anniversary culminated with Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate presiding over Bangladesh’s democratic overhaul, saying that he would write to the chief election commissioner requesting that nationwide elections be organized earlier than Ramadan in February.
“We are going to step into the ultimate and most necessary part after delivering this speech to you, and that’s the switch of energy to an elected authorities,” he mentioned.
Yunus had beforehand mentioned elections can be held in April, however key political events have been demanding he maintain them earlier and earlier than the Islamic holy month within the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million individuals.
“On behalf of the federal government, we are going to prolong all crucial assist to make sure that the election is free, peaceable and celebratory in spirit,” the interim chief added.
Hasina’s rule noticed widespread human rights abuses, together with mass detentions and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Protests in opposition to Hasina’s rule started on July 1, 2024, with college college students calling for adjustments to a quota system for public sector jobs. They culminated on August 5, 2024, when hundreds of protesters stormed Hasina’s palace as she escaped by helicopter.
Hasina, 77, fled to India and stays there. She has defied courtroom orders to attend her ongoing trial on fees amounting to crimes in opposition to humanity.
On Tuesday, Yunus known as for individuals to grab the “alternative” for reform. He additionally warned about individuals whom he mentioned sought to undermine the nation’s good points, saying, “The fallen autocrats and their self-serving allies stay energetic, conspiring to derail our progress.”
“Dialogue continues with political events and stakeholders on crucial reforms, together with the political and electoral techniques,” he added.
These gathered in Dhaka included households of these killed within the crackdowns on final yr’s protests. Police had been on excessive alert all through town with armoured automobiles patrolling the streets to discourage any try by Hasina’s banned Awami League get together to disrupt the day’s occasions.
Protesters additionally welcomed Yunus’s transfer to formally learn out the July Declaration, a 28-point doc that seeks to present constitutional recognition to the 2024 student-led rebellion. He added that trials for these accountable for the July killings of 2024 had been progressing swiftly.
Fariha Tamanna, 25, mentioned it was “deeply satisfying” to listen to the federal government “acknowledge the rebellion”. “There’s nonetheless an extended highway forward. So many wrongs proceed,” she instructed the AFP information company at a rally. “However I nonetheless maintain on to hope.”