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Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus said that the tenure of the interim government should not exceed four years.

In Bangladesh, the tenure of an elected government is five years and there has been a recommendation to reduce the tenure to four years, therefore the interim government’s tenure should not exceed four years, said Yunus,

He made the observation in an interview with Qatar-based media network Al Jazeera while participating in the ongoing COP29 in Baku in Azerbaijan recently. 

He also mentioned that the interim government might remain in power for a much lesser period depending on what the people and political parties want.

‘We are not a perpetual government. A regular government is for five years for example. The new constitution may say four years probably because people want to move faster. So it [the tenure of interim government] should be under four years for sure or it may be less,’ said Professor Muhammad Yunus.

He added that the tenure of the government would depend on the demand of the people and political parties.

‘If the political parties say forget about it [reforms], give elections, we will do it,’ he mentioned.

He said that political parties’ rush towards elections would mean the opportunity to reform Bangladesh might be lost.

‘The highlight of the whole government was reform because the whole student movement is to create a new Bangladesh. New Bangladesh is not just going to come through holding an election. The whole population of the country wanted something new, something different from the old,’ he said.

‘Bangladesh is kind of deep in corruption because of the system that we had for the past 16 years — mismanagement, misgovernance, the destroying of our institutions and all the policies, systems and institution gone down the drain,’ he said, adding that rebuilding the system ‘point by point, sector by sector’ will be a ‘big task’.

He said that the legal system, police system, the constitution and others must be reformed in order to realise people’s desires.

‘We have appointed commissions and they are supposed to submit reports at the end of December. There are two parallel things going on –– one is a preparation for elections and one is a preparation for reforms — and it is up to the people and political parties to decide which way to go,’ he articulated.

‘I did not say that I would be the head for four years. Our intention is to organise elections as soon as possible,’ he mentioned.

He also said that he would not contest in elections.

‘I am not a politician. I enjoy my role of what I have doing. At last stage of my life, I am not going to change that,’ said Yunus, who also added that Sheikh Hasina was destabilising Bangladesh by making speeches and calling for movements from India.

 ‘We drew the attention of the Indian authorities. You [India] are hosting her that is fine but also make sure that she does not create problems for us because then we have to go back and complain to you,’ mentioned Yunus, who added that the government would ask for Hasina’s extradition from India if she was found guilty in cases filed against her on charge of killing of students and mass people in student-led mass uprising.