The 84-year-old Yunus took the oath at a ceremony in Dhaka’s presidential palace, attended by political leaders, civil society figures, military officials, and diplomats.
“I will uphold, support, and protect the constitution,” Yunus pledged, vowing to perform his duties “sincerely,” he said.
Yunus’s cabinet, composed of advisers rather than ministers, also took their oaths. The new interim government includes Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud from the Students Against Discrimination group, which led protests against Hasina.
Other notable appointees are Touhid Hossain, a former foreign secretary, Hassan Ariff, a former attorney general, environmental lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan, and law professor Asif Nazrul. Adilur Rahman Khan, a human rights activist recently sentenced to jail under Hasina’s administration, was also sworn in.
Hasina’s Awami League party did not have representatives at the ceremony. Hasina stepped down after widespread protests erupted in July over a controversial quota system for government jobs, which critics claimed benefited her party loyalists. The unrest escalated into violence, resulting in over 300 deaths.
Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work with microcredit, had been in Paris for the 2024 Olympics when he was selected for the interim role.
He returned to Dhaka under tight security and stated his main goal would be to restore order and unity in the country. “Bangladesh is a family. We have to unite it,” Yunus said at a press briefing.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his “best wishes” to Yunus and affirmed India’s commitment to collaborating with Bangladesh for mutual peace, security, and development.
Yunus aims to ensure public security and has urged against seeking vengeance. Many people hope the interim government will stay long enough to reform the system and establish an independent judiciary and election commission to reduce political corruption.
On Wednesday, Yunus was acquitted in a labor law violation case related to a telecommunications company he founded.
He had previously been convicted and sentenced to six months in jail but was out on bail. Yunus has long been a critic of Hasina, who had accused him of exploiting rural poor people for loan repayments—a claim Yunus denies.