Interim leadership advocates collective action to prevent the reestablishment of authoritarian rule.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the interim government issued a warning on Saturday, emphasizing the necessity of unity to combat the potential resurgence of authoritarianism, as the country's main political party is pushing for elections to be held by the end of the year.
Broad unity, as stated in a government statement, is vital for upholding national stability, ensuring free and fair elections, promoting justice, and implementing reforms, with the ultimate goal of permanently preventing authoritarianism's return. The statement follows a week of tension between rival political parties, who held rallies in Dhaka.
Bangladesh, a South Asian nation with a population of nearly 170 million, has been gripped by political unrest since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted via student-led protests in August 2024.
On Saturday evening, interim leader Muhammad Yunus, a 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, met with leaders of the main parties, pressuring his government. Yunus, who took control following Sheikh Hasina's fall, has stated his duty is to implement democratic reforms before the elections, scheduled for no later than June 2026.
If the autonomy of the government, judicial process, fair electoral process, and normal functioning are obstructed to the point of making its tasks impossible, the government will take necessary measures with the people, according to Yunus. However, he did not elaborate further.
The government has been faced with "unreasonable demands and deliberately provocative statements" that have "continuously hindered" its work, as per the statement. Yunus threatened to resign on Thursday, sources within his office and a political ally reported, but Wahiduddin Mahmud, head of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, stated on Saturday that Yunus would not resign in the near future.
"We must assume the responsibilities that have been entrusted to us. We simply cannot abandon our duties," said Mahmud.
Yunus met with leaders of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the favorite in the elections, and Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamic party in the Muslim-majority country. Both parties have protested against the government. The spokesperson for the government chief, Shafiqul Alam, insisted that parties had "full confidence" in Yunus.
BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain warned, as he left the meeting, that any excuse to delay the elections could pave the way for the return of dictatorship, holding the interim government and its allies accountable. On Wednesday, thousands of BNP supporters protested against the interim government for the first time, demanding an election date. The BNP desires polls by December.
Yunus suggested that elections might commence as early as December but emphasized that a later date would give the government more time to implement reforms. Speaking to journalists, Nahid Islam, who played a significant role in the student-led revolt that ousted PM Hasina, warned on Saturday of the risk of a future army-backed government. This echoes the situation of January 11, 2007, when a state of emergency was declared, leading to an army-backed government for two years.
The interim government's statement highlights the importance of national unity in enacting democratic reforms, ensuring just elections, and fighting against potential authoritarianism, given the ongoing political tensions and the push for elections by the end of the year. The need for free and fair elections, autonomy of the government, fair judicial process, and normal functioning is crucial to prevent the return of authoritarianism, as emphasized by interim leader Muhammad Yunus.
