Yunus ministry

Yunus ministry
22nd Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
8 August 2024 – present
Muhammad Yunus
Date formed	8 August 2024 (4 months ago) (2024-08-08)
People and organisations
President	Mohammed Shahabuddin
Chief Adviser	Muhammad Yunus
Total no. of members	32
Member party	Independent
Status in legislature	Dissolved
History
Election	-
Outgoing election	TBA
Predecessor	Hasina V

An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the resignation and fleeing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid nationwide student and public protests against the government. Following the dissolution of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad on 6 August 2024, the interim cabinet will remain in office until a new Prime Minister is appointed after a snap general election. The government, like the previous non-caretaker government interim administrations (in 1975 and 1990), is extra-constitutional. However, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh affirmed the legality of the stopgap government on 9 August 2024, citing the urgent need to manage state affairs and address the constitutional vacuum,^[1][2][3] similar to previous cases. The main pledge of his ministry is organize a constituent assembly to draft and adopt a new, democratic and inclusive constitution, ensuring the inviolability of human dignity.^[4]

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Yunus and his council of advisers at Bangabhaban on 8 August 2024.^[5] The cabinet currently consists of 1 Chief Adviser, 22 Advisers and 9 Special Positions Under the Chief Adviser's Office. The Jamuna State Guest House is serving as the official residence of the Chief Adviser.^[5]

On 5 August 2024, Bangladesh's longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India following the non-cooperation movement. It was a pro-democratic disinvestment movement and mass uprising, of which, the sole demand was the resignation of Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet, initiated within the framework of the month-long quota reform movement resulting in mass killings. Both of the movements were parts of a wider movement known as the Student–People's uprising or the July Revolution. Soon after, the Chief of Army Staff Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government. The president immediately started the process of meeting with political leaders from around the country to discuss the formation of an interim government. The president also dissolved the parliament on 6 August 2024. Anti-discrimination Students Movement, the principal organisation that led the movement, proposed the name of Muhammad Yunus for the head of government. Yunus, then residing in Paris, agreed to hold the position. The formation of the interim government was finalised on 7 August 2024.

• Muhammad Yunus was appointed by the President Mohammed Shahabuddin as the Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh.^[6]

• 16 persons were also appointed as other advisers to the interim government by the President:^[7]
  1. Salehuddin Ahmed
  2. Asif Nazrul
  3. Adilur Rahman Khan
  4. A. F. Hassan Ariff
  5. Md. Touhid Hossain
  6. Rizwana Hasan
  7. Sharmeen Murshid
  8. Faruk-e-Azam
  9. M Sakhawat Hussain
  10. Supradip Chakma
  11. Bidhan Ranjan Roy
  12. A F M Khalid Hossain
  13. Farida Akhter
  14. Nurjahan Begum
  15. Nahid Islam
  16. Asif Mahmud
• Yunus was sworn in by the President at the Bangabhaban.^[8] Along with him, 13 of the 16 appointed advisers also took the oath, also administered by the President. It was announced that the remaining three advisers—Supradip Chakma, Bidhan Ranjan Roy, and Faruk-e-Azam would take their oaths at a later time.^[9] The oath ceremony was attended by national and international guests, including several ambassadors and the chiefs of the armed forces of Bangladesh—the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, and the Chief of Air Staff. Senior political figures from various political parties (except the Awami League) were also present, alongside many other distinguished guests.^[10]

• The distribution of ministries and divisions was made public. A total of 27 ministries and divisions were assigned to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. One ministry was assigned to each of the other 13 advisers.^[11]

• Supradip Chakma and Bidhan Ranjan Roy were sworn in as advisers by the President.^[12][13]
• Following their appointment, the responsibility for ministries and divisions was redistributed among Yunus, Chakma and Roy. One ministry was allocated to each of the two advisers, resulting in 25 ministries and divisions being managed by the Chief Adviser.^[14]

• Faruk-e-Azam, was sworn in as adviser.^[15][16]
• Following his appointment, a redistribution of ministries and divisions was carried out between Yunus and Faruk. Faruk was assigned a ministry, resulting in 24 ministries and divisions being managed by the Chief Adviser.^[17]
• Shafiqul Alam, a seasoned journalist and Bangladesh Bureau Chief of Agence France-Presse was appointed as Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser with status of a Secretary.^{[18][19][20][21]}

• Lamiya Morshed, executive director of Yunus Centre and Grameen Healthcare Trust, was appointed as Principal Coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Affairs with the status of a Senior Secretary.^{[22][23][24][21]}

• Additional four Advisers—Wahiduddin Mahmud, Ali Imam Majumder, Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, and Jahangir Alam Chowdhury were appointed by President Mohammed Shahabuddin and were sworn in on the same day.^[25][26]

• Following their appointment, a redistribution of ministries and divisions was carried out between the Chief Adviser and all the Advisers. A total of 10 ministries and divisions were taken charge of by the Chief Adviser. Responsibilities for one ministry each were assigned to many of the other advisers, while some advisers were assigned multiple ministries.^[27]

• Ali Imam Majumder was appointed as Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, a role equivalent to an adviser. In the official document, his role is described as being "Attached to the Office of the Chief Adviser".^[27]

• Abdul Hafiz was appointed as Special Assistant to Chief Adviser on Defense and Natrional Integration, a role equivalent to an adviser.^[28][29][30]

• A redistribution of ministries and divisions was carried out between Chief Adviser and four other advisers, resulting in 6 ministries and divisions being managed by the Chief Adviser.^[31]

• Mahfuz Alam, a Liaison Committee Coordinator of Anti-discrimination Students Movement was appointed as Special Assistant to Chief Adviser with the status of a secretary.^[32][33][34]

• Lutfey Siddiqui was appointed as Chief Adviser's Envoy on International Affairs, a role equivalent to an adviser.^[35][36]

• Mahfuz Alam, Sheikh Bashir Uddin and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki were appointed and sworn in as Advisers by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban.^[37][38][39]
• Following their appointment a redistribution of ministries and division was carried out, resulting in four ministries and divisions under the Chief Adviser.^[40][41]
• Former Inspector General of Police Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Md Sayedur Rahman and M Aminul Islam were appointed as Special Assistant to the Interim Govenment with the status of Minister of State. They were also given Executive Power over Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Education respectively.^[42][43]

• Khalilur Rahman, a former High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Canada, UN official and current member of board of trustees of East West University was appointed as High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issues and Priority Affairs.^[44][45][46]

• President Mohammed Shahabuddin, appointed AMM Nasir Uddin, a former Secretary as the Chief Election Commissioner and four other Election Commissioners.^{[47][48][49][50]}

The following is the list of members of the interim government:^{[a][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][46][52][53][54]}

The Yunus ministry formed eleven reform commissions to reform perceived important areas of the government. The Head of Commission will have a status of a Justice of Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.^[55]

The details of the head of commission and members are as follows.^{[56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72]}

The Interim government led by Muhammad Yunus formed several new councils, committees, and commissions, and reformed existing ones to manage various areas of the government. The councils, committees, and commissions consist of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, several advisers and government officials. The details about the committees are as follows.^{[73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87]}

The government creates a ddedicated commission to investigate enforced disappearances.^[88][89] Unlike the reform commissions this commission is an investigation commission.

The Yunus Ministry made a new Election Commission to conduct a snap election. The commission includes 1 Chief Election Commissioner and 4 Election Commissioner. The details are as follows:^{[47][48][49][50]}

In spite of the existence of interim administrations in the 1975–78 (Sayem ministry) and 1990–91 (Shahabuddin Ahmed ministry) periods of Bangladeshi political history, there were significant concerns regarding the legality of an interim government, considering that the Constitution of Bangladesh does not allow for it to exist. The Constitution also forbids ouster clauses, following the doctrine of basic constitutional structure.

The only form of interim government that has been constitutional in the past under the country's law was the CtG system introduced in 1996 through the 13th Amendment but this was overturned by the Awami League regime in 2011 through the 15th Amendment, which repealed the former.^[90] With the Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing the country amid protests,^[91][92] this creates an impossible situation for the Bangladeshi legal system because it can no longer account for transfers of power. That being said, the Appellate Division of the Bangladeshi Supreme Court has acknowledged the necessity of the Yunus government and ruled in favour of what essentially amounts to the wording of the 13th Amendment prior to its suspension: “The Appellate Division opined that in accordance with Article 106 of the Constitution, an interim government can be formed with a chief advisor and a few other advisors in the absence of parliament” as per Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan.^[93] Hassan himself a staunch supporter of the ousted Awami League, has since resigned as Chief Justice.^[94]

Hence, despite the lack of constitutional legality for an interim government, due to extremely broad popular support and the need to ensure that a military junta takeover like in 1975 is prevented, Yunus was sworn in on the night of August 8, 2024.^[95][96] Yunus' government enjoys broad international support and is seen as legitimate by the international community, with many heads of state and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of other nations having congratulated Yunus upon having been sworn in as the new Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.^[97][98][99]

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• The nomination of Yunus, who accepted an offer to advise the interim government, has been supported by key figures in the student movement.^[100][101] Anti-discrimination student movement coordinator Nahid Islam (who later became an adviser to the interim government) said on 6 August 2024,^[102]

  We have decided that an interim government would be formed, in which internationally renowned Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who has wide acceptability, would be the chief adviser.

• Former Member of Parliament and business leader A.K. Azad said in his response,

  The government that has been formed under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Yunus has support from us businessmen. We hope that the broken law and order situation will be restored as soon as possible. All those students and public who were killed will be done justice through a special investigation committee and a special court of law.^[b]

• Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) president Hasanul Haq Inu and general secretary Shirin Akhtar said in a statement:

  As the primary and main task of the interim government, effective steps must be taken in restoring normalcy and peace in public life by ensuring the safety of life and property of the people through the reestablishment of law and order in the country without delay. Following the taking of office of the interim government, it should be ensured that there not be a single incident of loss of life, attack or destruction of property in the country.^[c]

• Joint General Secretary of the Awami League Mahbubul Alam Hanif has congratulated the interim government, which has taken the oath of office after the ouster of the government led by the party, through a Facebook post.^[105] He also urged the government to take strict measures to stop killings, looting and arson attacks across the country.

• Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Mélanie Joly welcomed the inauguration of the interim government in Bangladesh led by Dr. Yunus.^[106]
• Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said, "China has noted the establishment of an interim government of Bangladesh and welcomes this".^[107]
• Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi congratulated Yunus after he was sworn in as a chief of the interim government. Modi said, "We hope for an early return to normalcy, ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all other minority communities".^[108] Leader of Opposition of India Rahul Gandhi & Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee also congratulated Yunus on being sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government.^[109]
• A spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope to strengthen Bangladesh–South Korea relations with the interim government.^[110]
• Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh congratulated and extended their full support.^[111]
• Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Yunus on his appointment as Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.^[112]
• President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu congratulated Yunus on his appointment as the Chief Adviser of the interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.^[113]
• President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe congratulates Yunus and his interim Government of Bangladesh.^[114]
• The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the interim government of Dr. Yunus.^[115] Prime Minister Dick Schoof also congratulated Dr. Yunus, stating, "Our countries enjoy long-standing and cordial ties. I look forward to supporting your interim government and further deepening our cooperation."^[116]
• Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif wished Yunus great success in guiding Bangladesh towards a harmonious and prosperous future. He looks forward to working with him to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh.^[117] Many leaders of Opposition Party Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf(PTI) also congratulates Interim Government of Bangladesh.
• President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated Yunus.^[118] Erdoğan described Yunus as "a friend of Islam and Turkey", adding that "Turkey will continue to provide support in this turbulent time".^[119]
• Spokesperson for the United States Department of State Matthew Miller told reporters: "We welcome Dr. Yunus's call for an end to the recent violence and we stand ready to work with the interim government and Dr. Yunus as it charts a democratic future for the people of Bangladesh."^[120]
• President of France Emmanuel Macron congratulated Dr Yunus & extended full support.^[121]
• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer welcomed the Interim Government of the Bangladesh and pledged support.^[122]

• High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said, "The EU looks forward to engaging with the new administration and to supporting this critical transition which should be part of a peaceful and inclusive process underpinned by good governance, democratic values and respect for human rights".^[123]
• An alliance of 255 revolutionary groups and civil society organizations in Myanmar published an open letter congratulating the establishment of the interim government and appealed to Yunus to collaborate with and support the National Unity Government of Myanmar against the State Administration Council.^[124][125]

• Constitution of Bangladesh
• Elections in Bangladesh
• Government of Bangladesh
• List of cabinets of Bangladesh
• Politics of Bangladesh
• Sayem ministry (interim 1975–78)
• Shahabuddin Ahmed ministry (interim 1990–91)
• Student–People's uprising
• Student politics of Bangladesh