Bangladesh President Dissolves Parliament, Clears 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 Mohamed Shahabuddin's office announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon. One protest leader had earlier threatened to return to the streets if parliament was not dissolved the same day.
Hasina resigned and fled the country by helicopter after protesters defied a military curfew and marched on the capital, and thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family.
Her departure comes after weeks of protests over government job quotas turned deadly violent, sparking a wider challenge to her 15-year rule. The government tried to suppress the protests by closing schools, imposing a curfew and sending in the military to fire tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, killing about 300 people, but such heavy-handed tactics only served to fuel discontent.
Bangladesh's president and top military commander said late Monday that an interim government would be formed soon to preside over new elections.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Waqar-Uz-Jamam said on Monday that soldiers were temporarily taking control of the country while trying to contain the unrest. The military wields significant political influence in Bangladesh, which has faced more than 20 coups or attempted coups since independence in 1971.
After meeting with opposition politicians and Waqar-Uz Jamam, President Mohammed Shahabuddin said he would dissolve parliament and form a national government as soon as possible to hold new elections.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who could lead Bangladesh's new interim government, is currently in Paris for the Olympics. He called Hasina's resignation the country's “second day of liberation.” He could not immediately be reached for comment.
A longtime opponent of the ousted leader, he was accused of corruption by her government and put on trial on what he claimed was a vendetta. He won the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his work pioneering microcredit.
Student organizer Nahid Islam said protesters would suggest more names for cabinet members, making it difficult for those in power to ignore their wishes.
On Tuesday, the streets of Dhaka appeared peaceful with no further reports of violence.
During the celebration, student Juairia Karim said it was a historic day. “Today we got what we deserved,” she said. “Everyone is happy, everyone is cheerful.”
Cheerful protesters were still gathered at the ousted leader's residence, some taking selfies with soldiers guarding the building where angry protesters had looted furniture, paintings, potted plants and chickens a day earlier.
But the country is still reeling from weeks of violent riots that have resulted in the country’s worst bloodshed since its 1971 war of independence. Many fear Hasina’s departure could lead to more instability in the densely populated South Asian nation already grappling with rising unemployment, corruption and climate change.
Media reports that at least 109 people, including 14 police officers, were killed and hundreds injured in the violence that erupted just before and after Hasina's resignation have not been independently confirmed.
The main airport in the capital Dhaka was closed for eight hours due to security concerns.
Bangladeshi news agency United News reported that 596 prisoners and suspects escaped from the southwestern district of Satkhira following an attack on a prison facility on Monday evening, while police stations and security officials across the country were attacked.
After several police stations were burned or destroyed, most Dhaka police officers left their stations and gathered at the central barracks, fearing attacks.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party called on people to exercise restraint on Tuesday, saying it was a “transitional moment in the path of our democracy.”
“If people decide to take the law into their own hands without due process, the revolutionary spirit that overthrew Sheikh Hasina’s illegitimate and dictatorial regime will be destroyed,” the party’s acting chairman, Tariq Rahman, wrote on social media platform X.
In a statement Monday, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said any transfer of power in Bangladesh “must be consistent with the country's international obligations” and “inclusive and open to the meaningful participation of all Bangladeshis.”
Hasina landed at a military airfield near New Delhi after leaving Dhaka on Monday and met Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Hasina has been shifted to a safe house and is likely to travel to the UK, according to the report.
The 76-year-old was re-elected for a fourth term in a January vote that was boycotted by her main opponent. Thousands of opposition lawmakers were jailed before the vote, and the US and UK condemned the result as untrustworthy, but the government defended it.
