Bangladesh: Muhammad Yunus Sworn in as Interim Government leader alongside New Cabinet

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on August 8, 2024, following the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Yunus, who is now the chief adviser, leads a new Cabinet of 16 members. The ceremony took place at the presidential palace in Dhaka, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin administering the oath. The event was attended by diplomats, civil society members, top business leaders, and former opposition party members, but notably, no representatives from Sheikh Hasina's party were present.

New Cabinet Members

The interim Cabinet, formed through discussions among student leaders, civil society, and the military, includes a mix of civil society figures and student leaders. Key members of the Cabinet are:

- Syeda Rizwana Hasan: A Supreme Court lawyer and chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).
- Farida Akhtar: A women's rights activist.
- Adilur Rahman Khan: A Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist.
- AFM Khalid Hossain: Deputy chief of the right-wing party Hefazat-e-Islam.
- Nurjahan Begum: A trustee of Grameen Telecom and an early associate of Yunus.
- Sharmeen Murshid: An election expert and freedom fighter from the Bangladesh Liberation War.
- Faruk-e-Azam: A recipient of the Bir Pratik honor for the 1971 Liberation War.
- Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud: Key organizers of the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement at Dhaka University.
- Salehuddin Ahmed: Former governor of Bangladesh Bank.
- Prof Asif Nazrul: A law professor at Dhaka University.
- AF Hassan Ariff: Former attorney general and senior advocate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court.
- M Sakhawat Hossain: Former election commissioner and retired brigadier general of the Bangladesh Army.
- Supradip Chakma: Chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board.
- Prof Bidhan Ranjan Roy: Former director of the National Institute of Mental Health & Hospital's Department of Psychiatry.
- Touhid Hossain: Former foreign secretary of Bangladesh.

Some members, including Roy, Chakma, and Faruk-e-Azam, were unable to take the oath as they were outside Dhaka.

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