Bangladesh's interim govt warns of authoritarianism, student protesters fear reprisals
Bangladesh's interim government, which took over after a mass uprising last year, warned on Saturday that unity was needed to 'prevent the return of authoritarianism'.
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'Broader unity is essential to maintain national stability, organise free and fair elections, justice, and reform, and permanently prevent the return of authoritarianism in the country,' it said in a statement after a week of escalation during which rival parties protested on the streets of the capital Dhaka.
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by student-led protests in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted 15-year rule.
The caretaker government is led by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Yunus, who returned from exile at the behest of protesters, says he has a duty to implement democratic reforms before elections, which are due by June 2026 at the latest.
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'If the government's autonomy, reform efforts, justice process, fair election plan, and normal operations are obstructed to the point of making its duties unmanageable, it will, with the people, take the necessary steps,' the caretaker government said, without giving further details.
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