Unemployment, political chasms, economic distress: Bangladesh interim government has its hands full

In a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, Bangladesh’s long-serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on August 5 and fled the country amid rising protests and widespread civil unrest. What began as a movement against job quotas rapidly transformed into a nationwide uprising, culminating in Hasina’s sudden departure.

Now, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has been appointed to lead an interim government, charged with the monumental task of restoring order and steering the nation through its most critical political transition since independence. Yet, the challenges that lie ahead are daunting.

In January, Hasina secured a fourth consecutive term as prime minister in a controversial election. Her tenure had seen significant economic growth, improvements in infrastructure and efforts to lift millions out of poverty. Under her leadership, Bangladesh even outpaced neighboring India in per capita gross domestic product and life expectancy. However, beneath this economic success, dissatisfaction was growing, particularly among the youth who felt suffocated by her government’s authoritarian and partisan approach.

The catalyst for the recent upheaval was the student-led protests against a job quota system that reserved a significant portion of government positions for descendants of 1971 war veterans. This system, viewed as discriminatory and biased toward Hasina’s supporters, sparked widespread anger. The protests quickly expanded into a larger movement against...

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