Yunus urges patience as Bangladesh govt works on election reforms

As Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus completed 100 days in power following a student-led revolution, he urged the nation to be patient as the country prepares for much-anticipated elections.

Addressing to the nation, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate called the task of restoring democratic institutions “extremely tough” but essential.

Yunus, a pioneering figure in microfinance, was appointed as the “chief advisor” on August 9, after the student-led uprising led to the end of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year authoritarian rule. As head of a temporary administration, Yunus faces the challenge of overseeing the transition to a fully democratic government in a nation of over 170 million people.

Vowing an election commission will be formed “within a few days”, Yunus said he could not give a timeframe for elections, saying it was dependent on a raft of election and constitutional reforms.

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“I promise that we will hold the much-anticipated election once the necessary and essential reforms are complete,” he said in the broadcast.

“I request your patience until then. We aim to build an electoral system that will endure for decades. For this, we need some time.”

Yunus said his administration was also focused on ensuring those guilty of cracking down on the protests to oust Hasina faced justice, and said he had spoken to Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for 77-year-old Hasina – last seen arriving in neighbouring India after fleeing by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.

Hasina has been summoned to appear in court in Dhaka on Monday to face charges of “massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity”, but she remains in exile in India.

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Several of her former government ministers, who were detained and held in custody, are expected in court to face similar charges.

“We have already taken initiatives to try those responsible for enforced disappearances, murders, and the mass killings during the July-August uprising,” Yunus said.

Crisis Group analyst Thomas Kean has called the challenge facing Yunus “monumental”, warning of that “cracks are emerging in the fragile alliance” that pushed him into power.

“For now, Yunus and his colleagues have widespread support, but popular expectations are double-edged”, the thinktank said in report on Thursday.

“If the interim administration falters in making reforms, the outcome is likely to be an early election with little progress; in the worst-case scenario, the military could assume power.”

With inputs from agencies.