The president of Bangladesh has opened the way for elections to be held in Hasina's place by dissolving the parliament
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Bangladesh's president dissolved parliament on Tuesday, clearing the way for fresh elections to replace the prime minister, who has long resigned and left the country after weeks of violent unrest.
The decision was announced by the office of President Mohammad Shahabuddin on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier, the protesting leader had threatened to take to the streets if Parliament was not dissolved on the same day.
Hasina resigned and left the country by helicopter after thousands of protesters defied a military curfew order to march on the capital before storming her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family.
His departure comes after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs turned deadly in a broader challenge to his 15-year rule. The government tried to quell the protests by closing schools, imposing curfews and sending in troops to fire tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition, which killed nearly 300 people, but those heavy-handed tactics only fueled further discontent.
Bangladesh's prime minister and its top military commander said late Monday that an interim government would soon be formed to preside over new elections.
Military chief General Waqer-uz-Zamam said on Monday that he was temporarily taking control of the country, as soldiers tried 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.
The country's head of state, President Mohammad Shahabuddin, said after a meeting with Waqar-uz-Jamam and opposition politicians that parliament would be dissolved and a national government formed as soon as possible, leading to new elections.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is expected to lead Bangladesh's new interim government, is currently in Paris for the Olympics. He called Hasina's resignation the country's 'second liberation day'. He could not be reached for immediate comment.
A long-time rival of the ousted leader, he was accused of corruption by his government and put on trial for allegedly being motivated by revenge. He received the Nobel Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microlending.
Student organizer Nahid Islam suggested that the protesters would propose more names for the cabinet and that it would be difficult for those in power to ignore their wishes.
Dhaka's streets appeared calm on Tuesday, with no reports of fresh violence.
Amidst the celebrations, student Zuaria Karim said it was a historic day: “Today we are getting what we deserve,” she said. “Everybody's happy, everybody's happy.”
Excited protesters still thronged the ousted leader's residence, some taking selfies with soldiers guarding the building where furniture, paintings, flower pots and chickens had been looted by angry demonstrators a day earlier.
But the country was still counting down the weeks of violent unrest that produced the country's worst bloodshed since the 1971 war of independence. Many fear Hasina's departure could lead to further instability in the densely populated South Asian nation, which is already grappling with crises ranging from high unemployment to corruption to climate change.
Violence before and after Hasina's resignation killed at least 109 people, including 14 police officers, and injured hundreds, according to media reports, which could not be independently confirmed.
The main airport of the capital Dhaka has been closed for eight hours amid security concerns.
In the southwestern district of Satkhira, 596 inmates and detainees escaped from prisons after an attack on the facility Monday evening, Bangladesh's United News Agency reported, as police stations and security officials were attacked across the country.
As most of the stations in Dhaka were set on fire or vandalized, policemen in Dhaka left their stations and gathered at the central barracks, fearing an attack.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday urged people to exercise restraint in what it called a “transitional moment in our democratic path”.
The party's acting president Tariq Rehman wrote on social media platform X, “If the people decide to take the law into their own hands without due process, it will defeat the spirit of revolution to topple Sheikh Hasina's illegitimate and autocratic regime.” .
In a statement on Monday, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the transition of power in Bangladesh must be “consistent with the country's international obligations” and “inclusive and open to the meaningful participation of all Bangladeshis”.
After leaving Dhaka, Hasina landed at a military airfield near New Delhi on Monday and met India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Reports say that Hasina has been taken to a safe house and is likely to go to the UK.
The 76-year-old was elected to a fourth consecutive term in a January vote that was boycotted by her main opponents. Thousands of opposition members were jailed before the election, and the US and UK denounced the results as unreliable, although the government defended them.
