Protesters who toppled Hasina want Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A key organizer of Bangladesh’s student protests Tuesday called for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to be named as the head of a new interim government, a day after longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country after weeks of deadly unrest.

Nahid Islam, the organizer, in a video post in social media said the student protest leaders have already talked with Yunus, who consented to take over considering the present situation of the country. Bangladesh’s figurehead president and its top military commander said Monday that an interim government would be formed soon.

Yunus, who called Hasina’s resignation the country’s “second liberation day,” faced a number of corruption accusations and was put on trial during the former prime minister’s rule. He received the Nobel in 2006 after he pioneered microlending, and he said the corruption charges against him were motivated by vengeance.

Islam said the student protesters would announce more names for the government, and it would be a difficult challenge for the current leadership to ignore their choices.

Hasina resigned and fled the country Monday after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence and grew into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule. Thousands of demonstrators stormed her official residence and other buildings associated with her party and family.

Her departure threatened to create even more instability in the densely populated South Asian nation that is already dealing with a series of crises, from high unemployment to corruption to climate change. Amid security concerns, the main airport in Dhaka, the capital, suspended operations.

The streets of Dhaka appeared calmer