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Dr. Yunus to Al Jazeera:
Interim Government's Tenure Will Be Less Than Four Years
International Desk
18 Nov 2024, 09:54
Photo: AP
The tenure of the interim government could be four years or even shorter, said Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Dr. Yunus, the Chief Advisor of the interim government, recently participated in the United Nations Climate Conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan. During the event, he gave an interview to Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, addressing various questions about Bangladesh’s current state and future plans.
Dr. Yunus stated that there is a possibility of amendments to the Bangladeshi Constitution. In the amended constitution, the government's term might be set at four years. However, he emphasized that the tenure of the interim government would definitely be less than four years.
“We are an interim government, not a permanent one. Regular governments serve a five-year term. In the new constitution, the term might be reduced to four years because people want shorter government tenures. Therefore, it should certainly be less than four years and could be even shorter. This entirely depends on what the people and political parties want,” he said.
Regarding the timing of the next election in Bangladesh, Dr. Yunus mentioned that no decision has been made yet. He said the interim government’s goal is to complete necessary reforms as quickly as possible.
Highlighting the formation of various reform commissions, he explained that preparations for the election and the completion of all reforms are progressing simultaneously. He also assured that decisions in the "new Bangladesh" would be made based on the consensus of both the people and political parties.
When asked about the potential return of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India amid student and public protests, he responded that her return would depend on the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings. If she is found guilty, efforts to bring her back would be pursued accordingly.
When his attention was drawn to an Awami League statement referring to Sheikh Hasina as "Prime Minister of Bangladesh," Dr. Yunus remarked, “She can call herself many things, but that doesn’t reflect reality. Even India has referred to her as the former Prime Minister. So, even her host country does not recognize her as anything but the former Prime Minister.”
Dr. Yunus claimed that his government is striving to rescue Bangladesh from the grip of corruption caused by the Awami League's 16-year-long autocratic governance.
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What did DHL say?
"We can confirm that today, at approximately 4:30 am CET [0330 GMT], a Swiftair aircraft, operated by a service partner on behalf of DHL, performed an emergency landing about one kilometer from VNO Airport [Vilnius, Lithuania] while en route from LEJ Airport [Leipzig, Germany] to VNO Airport," the German company said.
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What do we know so far about the DHL crash?
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