Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus resigned on Monday and delivered a farewell address to the nation before handing over powers to a newly elected government, AFP reported.
“Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus announces resignation, end of interim government,” AFP quoted the statement as saying.
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“Today the interim government is stepping down,” said the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
“But let the practice of democracy, freedom of speech and fundamental rights not be stopped that has begun.”
Yunus calls Hasina a ‘devil’
Muhammad Yunus returned from self-imposed exile in August 2024, just days after Sheikh Hasina’s hardline administration was ousted in a student-led revolt, prompting her to flee by helicopter to India.
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“That was a day of great liberation,” he said. “What a day of joy it was! Bangladeshis all over the world shed tears of happiness. The youth of our country freed her from the clutches of a demon.”
Tarique Rahman, 60, head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and heir to one of the country’s most powerful political families, is expected to lead the South Asian nation of 170 million people.
The BNP-led alliance secured 212 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance won 77, according to the Election Commission.
Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman conceded defeat on Saturday and said his party would act as a “vigilant, principled and peaceful opposition”. Lawmakers elected in the vote are due to be sworn in on Tuesday, after which Tarique Rahman is expected to take office as Bangladesh’s next prime minister, AFP reported.
Democratic reforms – “July Charter”
On the same day as the election, Bangladeshi voters approved sweeping democratic reforms in a nationwide referendum — a key part of Muhammad Yunus’ post-rebellion transition plan.
Dubbed the “July Charter” after the month the movement that ousted Sheikh Hasina began, the sweeping proposal calls for limiting prime ministerial terms, establishing an upper house of parliament, expanding presidential powers and strengthening the independence of the judiciary.
“We didn’t start from scratch – we started from a deficit,” he said, according to AFP.
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“We have swept away the ruins, rebuilt the institutions and set the course for reform.”
The referendum noted that approval would make the charter “binding on the parties that win” the election, committing them to support it.
However, several parties raised questions ahead of the vote and the reforms will still need ratification by the new parliament.
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman conceded on Saturday, saying his Islamist party “will serve as a vigilant, principled and peaceful opposition”.
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Police records show that political clashes killed five people and injured more than 600 during the campaign period.
However, despite weeks of turmoil ahead of the polls, election day passed without major unrest and the country reacted relatively calmly to the results.