Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is sworn in as interim leader of Bangladesh
Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, hoping to help heal the country that was convulsed by weeks of violence.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh’s caretaker government on Thursday, hoping to help heal the country that was convulsed by weeks of violence, forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee to neighboring India.
Known as the “banker to the poor,” Yunus is the pioneer of the global microcredit movement. The Grameen Bank he founded won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for helping lift millions from poverty by providing tiny loans to the rural poor who are too impoverished to gain attention from traditional banks.
As chief adviser of the caretaker government, he is, however, tasked with bringing stability back to the country which witnessed some of its worst violence in decades and then hold fresh parliamentary elections.
“The brutal, autocratic regime is gone,” Yunus said in a televised address to the nation after taking charge. “Tomorrow, with the rising sun, democracy, justice, human rights, and full freedom of fearless expression will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation. That is our goal.”
Earlier on Thursday, on his arrival in Dhaka following medical treatment in Paris, Yunus said he would govern it with the guidance of students who backed him for the role in the caretaker government.
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