Mohammad Yunus is a sharp critic of Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh will today have an interim government led by Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign amid violent student protests.
Here are the key points about Bangladesh's new interim government:
Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's only Nobel Peace Prize winner, is likely to be sworn in as chief adviser today along with a team of advisors.
Mr Yunus, a fierce critic of Sheikh Hasina, is due to arrive in Dhaka today from Paris, where he was undergoing medical treatment.
Speaking to reporters before boarding a plane on Wednesday evening, he said: “I'm looking forward to going home and seeing what happens there and how we can organise ourselves to get out of the trouble we're in now.”
The 84-year-old, who has largely stayed out of politics, is known as the “banker of the poor” and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding a bank that pioneered the fight against poverty by making small loans to needy borrowers.
He was chosen to lead the interim government at a meeting of Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders and leaders of the Students Against Discrimination group.
On Wednesday, a court overturned Mr Yunus' conviction in a labour case in which he was sentenced to six months in prison in January.
The announcement of the new interim government came shortly after Ms Hasina's dramatic departure from the country she ruled for five terms.
Ms Hasina, 76, has fled to India and is currently seeking shelter at an air force base near Delhi.
In July, student protests broke out over controversial quotas for government jobs. More than 250 people were killed and thousands injured when protesters clashed with security forces and supporters of Hasina's Awami League party.
The protests were fueled by difficult economic conditions and political repression.
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