Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus threatens to resign over infighting
What's the story
Professor Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh's interim government, is reportedly considering resigning.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is said to be frustrated with the lack of consensus among political parties.
"He said he is thinking about it. He feels that the situation is such that he cannot work," Nhid Islam, chief of the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), said after meeting Yunus.
Rising tensions
Yunus's potential resignation follows BNP protests
Yunus has also told his cabinet that he might resign if he doesn't get full support from political parties, a source in his office told AFP.
His possible resignation comes after large-scale protests by supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Dhaka.
The protests, held a day prior, were the first major challenge to Yunus's interim government since it took power following a student-led revolt that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Political unrest
Yunus's government faces challenges, military relationship strains
"I cannot work like this if you, all the political parties, cannot reach a common ground," the NCP chief quoted Yunus as saying.
The NCP leader said he told Yunus that he hoped the political parties would come together and cooperate with him.
But "if the political party wants him to resign now... why will he stay if he does not get that place of trust, that place of assurance?" Islam told BBC Bangla.
Election timeline
Military chief calls for December elections
Yunus has promised to hold elections by June 2026 at the latest.
However, BNP supporters are demanding a fixed date for the polls.
Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman also said elections should be held by December, citing Bangladesh's chaotic phase.
He added that civil administration and law enforcement agencies have collapsed and failed to reconstitute.