Bangladesh: Who are the key players after Hasina's ouster?

Bangladesh has plunged into political tumult following weeks of violent unrest that culminated in the country's long-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, abruptly quitting her post on Monday and fleeing to neighboring India.

Efforts have been underway since then to form an interim administration that will run the South Asian nation until polls are held to elect a new parliament.

Following demands by student leaders who spearheaded the anti-Hasina uprising, Bangladesh's figurehead president, Mohammed Shahabuddin, has appointed Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead the interim government.

There are, however, few other details about the planned government. It's also not clear what role the military will play in the administration.

But Yunus has said he wants to hold elections "within a few" months.

Here's what you need to know about those who will play a key role in the nation's politics over the coming months.

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus, 84, is a social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader.

He and the Grameen Bank that he founded in the 1980s have pioneered the use of microfinance to help poor people, especially women.

Yunus and the Grameen Bank jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 in recognition of their fight against poverty.

Under Hasina's rule, Yunus faced a series of investigations, which he and his supporters described as "a smear campaign."

But Yunus continued to enjoy a good reputation, particularly among young and educated people. He actively supported the students from the start of their protests.

His popularity, wide acceptability and international recognition have been cited by student leaders as the reasons for their demand to name him Bangladesh's interim leader.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center, said Yunus' appointment was a "savvy move."

"Yunus is an internationally recognized and respected figure, and a highly successful professional in his own right," he pointed out.

"But he became a political lightning rod in recent years as he was a sharp critic of Sheikh Hasina's government and a prime target of its crackdown on dissent," said Kugelman.

"Holdouts of the former government and its supporters won't like this move," he added. "And India may not like it either. So it will need to be handled carefully at such a delicate political moment."

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia

Begum Khaleda Zia, 78, is the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the two main political parties in the country.

She has twice served as prime minister, from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006.

Zia and Hasina are considered archrivals.

Zia was convicted of graft in 2018, but her supporters said the corruption charges were politically motivated to keep her out of office.

As her health worsened in March 2020, the government allowed Zia to be released from prison but confined her to her house in Dhaka.

On Tuesday, Zia was also freed from house arrest.

"It seems quite likely that Khaleda Zia will turn to politics again, if her health allows," Jasmin Lorch, a senior researcher at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability, told DW.

"With the Awami League currently discredited after Sheikh Hasina's rule," she pointed out that the BNP, one of the two main political parties in Bangladesh, had a chance of recouping lost ground.

"The BNP has been weakened by repression in the last years. But it has party structures, members and followers across the country," she said.

"If there are free and fair elections, the BNP might still do well due to the strong anti-incumbency factor in Bangladeshi politics and because it might be seen by many as the only organized alternative to the [Awami League]."

But Lorch stressed that there are many who still distrust the BNP because of its poor record when it was in power.

"The problem with Khaleda Zia and the BNP is that when they were in power, they committed abuses similar to those of the AL. The student movement shows that many sections in Bangladeshi society are vying for more fundamental change."

Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman

General Waker-Uz-Zaman became the chief of Bangladesh's army only in June, for a three-year term.

The 58-year-old was suddenly thrust into the public spotlight after Hasina's abrupt ouster.

Zaman was known as a close ally of the ousted prime minister and is also a distant relative.

But he reportedly withdrew his support for Hasina, leading her to quit and flee. Zaman has played a major role over the past couple of days in holding discussions with various political parties, civil society groups and student leaders about what path to take.

"The military chief has been in a tough spot. He long supported Hasina and has a family connection to her, but his institution was clearly uncomfortable about being dragged into the crackdown," said Kugelman.

"Zaman has also likely read the writing on the wall and understands there's not much public appetite for the military to play a major political role post-Hasina. This suggests the military will be present in the discussions around the interim government, but it will hope to ultimately take a back seat," he added.

Zaman said on Wednesday that Yunus would be sworn in as the interim head on Thursday night, and expressed hopes for a "beautiful democratic" process.

Student leader Nahid Islam

Nahid Islam, a sociology student, has emerged as one of the main faces of the student movement in the country over the past couple of months.

The 26-year-old is often seen in public with a Bangladeshi flag draped across his forehead.

During the protests, he accused security forces of abducting and torturing him.

Islam, who speaks unemotionally but firmly in public, said the students would not accept any government led by the army, and put forward Yunus' name to lead the interim government.

He said students had also recommended 10-15 members for the interim government in an initial list they shared with the president.

The students' recommendations for the government include civil society members and student representatives, said Islam.

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina's son

Since Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy — who doesn't hold any official position in the Awami League party but is widely seen as a possible successor to Hasina — has emerged as the only person talking publicly on behalf of the Hasina family and her party.

The 53-year-old businessman, who served as an adviser to Hasina on information and communication technology affairs, told DW that neither he nor any other members of his family planned to become the party's leader anytime soon.

Joy, who is based in the US state of Virginia but used to visit Bangladesh frequently, said most of his relatives have lived abroad for a long time and have settled into their respective lives.

Regarding Hasina's ouster through mass protests, he said, "I don't have anything to say. If the people of Bangladesh do such a thing, we have nothing to say."

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru