Bangladesh protests live: Parliament dissolved after Hasina resignation

 

Bangladesh’s parliament has been dissolved, following the resignation and escape of longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid weeks of deadly unrest. Student-led protest organizers have met with military officials, firmly rejecting the idea of a military-led government. The protesters are calling for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead the interim government. Additionally, a spokesperson for the party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has informed AFP that Zia has been released from years of house arrest.

The job-quota demonstrations were sparked by a June ruling from the High Court that reinstated a quota system for government jobs, favoring the relatives of veterans from Bangladesh’s war of independence. This decision overturned a 2018 move by Sheikh Hasina’s government to eliminate the quota. Following the government’s appeal, the Supreme Court suspended the High Court's order and subsequently overturned it last month. The Supreme Court's ruling mandated that 93 percent of jobs be allocated based on merit, with the quota for veterans' descendants reduced to 5 percent and 2 percent reserved for ethnic minorities, transgender individuals, and people with disabilities.

Following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and widespread protests over government job quotas, the quota system has been revised. Here is a summary of the updated quota system: