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2024 interim government of Bangladesh From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An interim government led by the Yunus ministry was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid nationwide student and public protests against the government. Following the dissolution of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad on 6 August 2024, the interim cabinet will remain in office until a new Prime Minister is appointed after a snap general election. The government, like the previous non-CtG interim administrations (in 1975 and 1990), is extra-constitutional. However, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh affirmed the legality of the stopgap government on 9 August 2024, citing the urgent need to manage state affairs and address the constitutional vacuum,[1][2][3] as has been the case in the past too.
Yunus ministry | |
---|---|
Interim government of Bangladesh | |
8 August 2024–present | |
Date formed | 8 August 2024 |
People and organisations | |
President | Mohammed Shahabuddin |
Chief Adviser | Muhammad Yunus |
Total no. of members | 23 |
Member party | Independent |
Status in legislature | Dissolved |
History | |
Election | - |
Outgoing election | TBA |
Predecessor | Hasina V |
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Yunus and his council of advisers at Bangabhaban on 8 August 2024.[4] The cabinet currently consists of 1 chief adviser, 19 advisers and 2 special assistants to the chief adviser. The Jamuna State Guest House is serving as the official residence of the Chief Adviser.[5]
The non-cooperation movement,[lower-alpha 1] also known as the one-point movement,[lower-alpha 2] was a pro-democratic disinvestment movement and mass uprising against the Awami League-led government of Bangladesh, initiated within the framework of the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. The sole demand of this movement was the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet.[6][7]
Although initially limited to the goal of reforming quotas in government jobs, the movement snowballed into a mass anti-government uprising after the deaths of several protesters. The movement was also fueled by ongoing socio-economic and political issues, including the government's mismanagement of the national economy, rampant corruption by government officials, human rights violations, allegations of undermining the country's sovereignty by Sheikh Hasina, and increasing authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.[8][9][10]
On 3 August 2024, coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement announced a one-point demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister and her cabinet and called for "comprehensive non-cooperation".[11][12] The following day, violent clashes broke out, resulting in the deaths of 97 people, including students. The coordinators called for a long march to Dhaka to force Hasina out of power on 5 August. That day, a large crowd of protesters made its way through the capital.[13] At around 3:00 p.m. (UTC+6), Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India, her government's biggest ally.[14] Widespread celebrations and violence occurred following her removal, while the military and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government led by economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.[15] Meanwhile, Indian media was seen engaging in a widespread disinformation campaign aimed at destabilizing Bangladesh, following Hasina's resignation and departure to India.[16][17]The following lists the advisers of the interim government:[18][19][20][21][22]
Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Ref | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chief Adviser's Office | |||||||||
Chief Adviser and also in-charge of: Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent |
| ||||||
Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser[lower-alpha 3] | 16 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former Cabinet Secretary | ||||||
22 August 2024 | Incumbent | Retired lieutenant general of Bangladesh Army | |||||||
28 August 2024 | Incumbent | Liaison committee coordinator of Anti-Discrimination Students Movement[26] | |||||||
Advisers to the Interim Government | |||||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former deputy Attorney General of Bangladesh and founder of Odhikar | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former Attorney General of Bangladesh | ||||||
Adviser for Religious Affairs | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Professor & naib-e-ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh[27] | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Key coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka | ||||||
Adviser for Fisheries and Livestock | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Founding executive of UBINIG | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Retired brigadier general of Bangladesh Army and former Election Commissioner of Bangladesh | ||||||
Adviser for Foreign Affairs | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Key coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement | ||||||
Adviser for Health and Family Welfare | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former acting managing director of Grameen Bank | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Chief executive of BELA | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former governor of Bangladesh Bank | ||||||
Adviser for: | 8 August 2024 | Incumbent | CEO of Brotee | ||||||
Adviser for Primary and Mass Education | 11 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former director-cum-professor of National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital | ||||||
Adviser for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs | 11 August 2024 | Incumbent | Chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board | ||||||
Adviser for: | 13 August 2024 | Incumbent | Liberation War veteran & Bir Protik awardee | ||||||
Adviser for: | 16 August 2024 | Incumbent | Retired lieutenant general of Bangladesh Army and former Director-General of Bangladesh Rifles | ||||||
Adviser for: | 16 August 2024 | Incumbent | Former secretary of Power Division | ||||||
Adviser for: | 16 August 2024 | Incumbent | Economist & member of the United Nations Committee for Development Policy and former Adviser of the 1996 Caretaker Government |
In spite of the existence of interim administrations in the 1975–78 (Sayem ministry) and 1990–91 (Shahabuddin Ahmed ministry) periods of Bangladeshi political history, there were significant concerns regarding the legality of an interim government, considering that the Constitution of Bangladesh does not allow for it to exist. The Constitution also forbids ouster clauses, following the doctrine of basic constitutional structure.
The only form of interim government that has been constitutional in the past under the country's law was the CtG system introduced in 1996 through the 13th Amendment but this was overturned by the Awami League regime in 2011 through the 15th Amendment, which repealed the former.[28] With the Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing the country amid protests,[29][30] this creates an impossible situation for the Bangladeshi legal system because it can no longer account for transfers of power. That being said, the Appellate Division of the Bangladeshi Supreme Court has acknowledged the necessity of the Yunus government and ruled in favour of what essentially amounts to the wording of the 13th Amendment prior to its suspension: “The Appellate Division opined that in accordance with Article 106 of the Constitution, an interim government can be formed with a chief advisor and a few other advisors in the absence of parliament” as per Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan.[31] Hassan himself a staunch supporter of the ousted Awami League, has since resigned as Chief Justice.[32]
Hence, despite the lack of constitutional legality for an interim government, due to extremely broad popular support and the need to ensure that a military junta takeover like in 1975 is prevented, Yunus was sworn in on the night of August 8, 2024.[33][34] Yunus' government enjoys broad international support and is seen as legitimate by the international community, with many heads of state and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of other nations having congratulated Yunus upon having been sworn in as the new Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.[35][36][37]
We have decided that an interim government would be formed, in which internationally renowned Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who has wide acceptability, would be the chief adviser.
The government that has been formed under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Yunus has support from us businessmen. We hope that the broken law and order situation will be restored as soon as possible. All those students and public who were killed will be done justice through a special investigation committee and a special court of law.[lower-alpha 8]
As the primary and main task of the interim government, effective steps must be taken in restoring normalcy and peace in public life by ensuring the safety of life and property of the people through the reestablishment of law and order in the country without delay. Following the taking of office of the interim government, it should be ensured that there not be a single incident of loss of life, attack or destruction of property in the country.[lower-alpha 9]
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