Bangladesh's president dissolves parliament, paving the way for elections to replace Hasina
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Bangladesh's president dissolved parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for new elections to replace the long-serving prime minister who resigned and fled the country after weeks of violent unrest.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin's office announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, a protest leader had threatened to return to the streets if parliament was not dissolved the same day.
Hasina resigned and fled the country by helicopter as protesters defied the military curfew and marched on the capital before thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings linked to her party and family.
Her resignation came after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs turned deadly violent, fueling broader criticism of her 15-year rule. The government tried to quell the demonstrations by closing schools, imposing curfews and sending in troops who used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, leaving about 300 dead, but these brutal tactics only fueled more discontent.
Bangladesh's president and top military commander said late Monday that a transitional government would soon be formed to hold new elections.
Military chief General Waker-uz-Zamam said on Monday he had temporarily taken control of the country while soldiers tried to contain the unrest. The military has considerable political influence in Bangladesh, which has experienced more than 20 coup attempts since gaining independence in 1971.
Mohammed Shahabuddin, the country's president, said after a meeting with Waker-uz-Zamam and opposition politicians that parliament would be dissolved and a national government would be formed as soon as possible, leading to new elections.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who could lead Bangladesh's new interim government, is currently in Paris for the Olympic Games. He described Hasina's resignation as the country's “second day of liberation.” He was not immediately available for comment.
He was a long-time opponent of the ousted leader and was accused of corruption by her government. He was put on trial on the grounds that he was motivated by revenge. In 2006, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work in the field of microcredit.
Student organizer Nahid Islam said protesters would propose more names for the cabinet and said it would be difficult for those in power to ignore their wishes.
The streets of Dhaka appeared calmer on Tuesday, with no reports of new violence.
During the celebrations, student Juairia Karim said it was a historic day: “Today we get what we deserve,” she said. “Everyone is happy, everyone is joyful.”
Cheering protesters still crowded outside the deposed president's residence. Some posed for selfies with the soldiers guarding the building where angry demonstrators had looted furniture, paintings, flowerpots and chickens a day earlier.
But the country was still reeling from weeks of violent unrest that resulted in the worst bloodshed since the 1971 war of independence. Many fear Hasina's departure could lead to even more instability in the densely populated South Asian country, which is already battling crises ranging from high unemployment to corruption and climate change.
According to media reports that could not be independently confirmed, at least 109 people were killed, including 14 police officers, and hundreds more were injured in acts of violence shortly before and after Hasina's resignation.
For security reasons, the main airport in the capital Dhaka closed for eight hours.
In the southwestern district of Satkhira, 596 prisoners and detainees escaped from a prison on Monday evening after an attack there, the news agency United News of Bangladesh reported. Police stations and security officials were attacked across the country.
Fearing attacks, most police officers in Dhaka left their stations and gathered in a central barracks after several stations were set on fire or vandalized.
The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, called on the population on Tuesday to exercise restraint, saying it was a “transitional moment on our democratic path”.
“It would destroy the spirit of the revolution that overthrew the illegitimate and autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina if the people decided to take the law into their own hands without due process,” Tarique Rahman, the party's acting chairman, wrote on the social media platform X.
United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement on Monday that the change of power in Bangladesh must be “in line with the country's international obligations” and “inclusive and open to meaningful participation by all Bangladeshis.”
Hasina landed at a military airport near New Delhi on Monday after leaving Dhaka and met with India's national security adviser Ajit Doval, the Indian Express newspaper reported. The report said Hasina had been taken to a safe house and was likely to travel on to Britain.
The 76-year-old was elected for the fourth time in a row in January. Her main opponents boycotted the election. Thousands of opposition members were imprisoned before the election. The USA and Great Britain described the result as not credible, but the government defended it.
