Today's Edition
DHAKA (AFP)
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus stepped down on Monday in a farewell broadcast to the nation before handing over to an elected government.
"Today, the interim government is stepping down," the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner said. "But let the practice of democracy, freedom of speech, and fundamental rights that has begun not be halted."
Yunus returned to Bangladesh in August 2024 after the government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown. He led Bangladesh as its "chief adviser", and now hands over power after congratulating the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its leader Tarique Rahman on a "landslide victory" in elections last week.
"The people, voters, political parties, and stakeholder institutions linked to the election have set a commendable example," Yunus said. "This election has set a benchmark for future elections."
Rahman, 60, chief of the BNP and scion of one of the country's most powerful political dynasties, will lead the South Asian nation of 170 million.
Bangladeshi voters endorsed sweeping democratic reforms in a national referendum, a key pillar of Yunus's transition agenda, on the same day as the elections. The lengthy document, known as the "July Charter" after the month when the uprising that toppled Hasina began, proposes term limits for prime ministers, the creation of an upper house of parliament, stronger presidential powers, and greater judicial independence.
The BNP alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Election Commission.
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman conceded on Saturday, saying his Islamist party would "serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition".
Newly elected lawmakers are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday, after which Tarique Rahman is set to become Bangladesh's next prime minister.
