Bangladesh’s Yunus seeks time, says election roadmap after reforms

Bangladesh‘s interim person Muhammad Yunus has appealed for the nation’s “patience”, pledging that wide elections would beryllium held aft electoral and organization reforms were completed successful a televised code marking 100 days successful office.

“I committedness that we volition clasp the much-anticipated predetermination erstwhile the indispensable and indispensable reforms are complete,” said Yunus, who was tasked with starring the transitional authorities pursuing the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina successful August.

The 84-year-old person vowed that an predetermination committee would beryllium formed “within a fewer days”, but did not supply a circumstantial timeline for elections, citing the request for important electoral and law reforms.

“I petition your patience until then. We purpose to physique an electoral strategy that volition endure for decades. For this, we request immoderate time.”

The country’s lone Nobel Laureate, who is renowned for his pioneering enactment successful microfinance, Yunus has been tasked with rebuilding antiauthoritarian institutions aft Hasina’s 15-year tenure.

Yunus was appointed “chief adviser” connected August 9, pursuing student-led protests that ended Hasina’s authoritarian rule.

Accountability

The deadly protests began successful July aft assemblage students demanded the abolition of a arguable quota strategy successful authorities jobs that they said favoured supporters of the governing party. Though Bangladesh’s apical tribunal scrapped the quota, the protests soon morphed into a wider telephone for the removal of Hasina’s “autocratic” regime, marked by allegations of wide rights violations.

The government’s effect was 1 of the bloodiest chapters successful Bangladesh’s past arsenic information forces bushed the protesters, and fired teardrop state and unrecorded ammunition connected peaceful demonstrators, sidesplitting much than 1,000 radical successful 3 weeks and arresting thousands of others.

Yunus connected Sunday said astir 1,500 radical were killed successful the weeks of protests that brought down the Hasina government, adding that arsenic galore arsenic 3,500 whitethorn person been forcibly abducted during her 15-year rule.

Yunus vowed to analyse each quality rights violations, including alleged enforced disappearances portion Hasina was successful power.

The interim person said his medication volition question the extradition of the ousted premier curate from India, wherever she has been successful exile since fleeing the student-led wide uprising successful August.

“We volition question the instrumentality of the fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina from India,” Yunus said. “I person already discussed the contented with Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan.”

An apprehension warrant has been issued for Hasina, 77, who fled to India via chopper arsenic demonstrators stormed her residence. She faces charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity” and has been summoned to look successful tribunal successful Dhaka.

The extradition petition could strain relations with India, a cardinal determination state that maintained adjacent ties with Hasina passim her tenure.

“We should beryllium capable to resoluteness it amicably betwixt India and Bangladesh,” Yunus told Al Jazeera successful an interrogation connected the sidelines of the November 11-22 COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “We gully attraction to the Indian authorities that you are hosting her, that’s fine, but delight marque definite she doesn’t make problems for us.”.

‘Monumental’ challenge

Yunus has been talking to governmental parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by erstwhile Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main rival, which has sought an predetermination successful 2 to 3 months. The enactment believes it volition signifier the adjacent authorities arsenic Hasina’s Awami League enactment and its allies look a political debacle following her ouster.

“As we determination forward, we request to implicit a batch of work,” Yunus said successful his speech. “The bid volition scope its last presumption depending connected however rapidly we tin laic down the railway tracks, and this volition hap done statement among the governmental parties.”

In his interrogation with Al Jazeera, Yunus acknowledged the challenges ahead.

“Bangladesh is heavy successful corruption due to the fact that of the strategy that we had for the past 15 years – mismanagement, misgovernance, the demolition of our institutions,” helium said, adding that rebuilding the strategy “point by point, assemblage by sector” volition beryllium a “big task”.

International Crisis Group expert Thomas Kean has called the situation facing Yunus “monumental”, informing that “cracks are emerging successful the fragile alliance” that pushed him into power.

“For now, Yunus and his colleagues person wide support, but fashionable expectations are double-edged”, Kean’s deliberation vessel said successful a study connected Thursday.

“If the interim medication falters successful making reforms, the result is apt to beryllium an aboriginal predetermination with small progress; successful the worst-case scenario, the subject could presume power.”

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies