The hasty journey on a military plane ended Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule as prime minister of Bangladesh, a South Asian nation of 170 million people.
Ms Hasina, 76, resigned on August 5, under pressure from weeks of protests that culminated in thousands of protesters defying a military curfew and storming her official residence in the capital Dhaka.
Sheikh Hasina resigns as Bangladesh Prime Minister under pressure from weeks of protests. Photo: Hindustan Times
On the same day, Bangladesh Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman confirmed in a televised address that Ms. Hasina had left the country and an interim government would be formed.
Unprecedented situation
Once one of the world's fastest growing economies, Bangladesh has recently been hit by slow economic growth, inflation and unemployment.
In recent days, calls for Ms Hasina to resign have grown louder as hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Dhaka.
Protests initiated by students last month out of frustration with the lack of good jobs quickly grew into a nationwide movement and turned violent, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured.
Despite curfews, internet outages and tear gas from police, protesters have vowed not to stop until they achieve their goals. On August 5, the Bangladeshi military reportedly gave Ms Hasina just 45 minutes to resign.
Ms Hasina appeared to have accepted and left Dhaka on a military helicopter. Media in neighbouring India reported that Ms Hasina's plane landed at an air force base near New Delhi.
A senior source said she wanted to transit to London, but this could be difficult amid calls by the British government for a UN-led investigation into the "unprecedented levels of violence".
The wave of student protests quickly turned into a movement demanding Sheikh Hasina's resignation as Bangladesh Prime Minister. Photo: Le Monde
Speaking in a state television broadcast on August 5, Bangladesh's army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, said the protests should end and declared that "all injustices will be resolved".
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin later ordered the release of detained protesters, as well as former Prime Minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia, 78.
Later in the day, the president and the commander-in-chief met with the leaders of major political parties – with the exception of Ms Hasina’s long-ruling Awami League party. They “decided to form an interim government immediately”, the press secretary of the Bangladeshi president said.
On August 6, the Bangladesh military lifted the curfew, and businesses and schools reopened.
Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington DC-based Wilson Center, said Ms Hasina's departure "will leave a huge void" and that Bangladesh was in "an unprecedented situation". "The coming days are critical," he said.
"Iron Lady" of Bangladesh
Nicknamed the "Iron Lady", Sheikh Hasina became the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh after her Awami League Party won the 1996 election and served until 2001.
Hasina returned to power for the second time in 2009. She was re-elected for consecutive terms after that, and began her fifth term as Prime Minister of Bangladesh after elections in January this year amid low voter turnout and a boycott of the general election.
Ms. Hasina, daughter of founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahma, became the longest-serving leader in Bangladesh's history, surpassing other "iron ladies" in the world such as Margaret Thatcher (UK) and Indira Gandhi (India) in the number of victories in elections, and is the world's longest-serving female Prime Minister.
Hasina's leadership was initially marked by the South Asian nation's impressive economic growth, largely thanks to a largely female factory workforce that fueled the country's garment exports.
Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries when it gained independence in 1971, has grown by an average of more than 6% a year since 2009. Poverty has fallen sharply and more than 95% of its 170 million people now have access to electricity, with per capita income set to surpass India's by 2021.
The garment industry brings in more than $55 billion a year, making Bangladesh the world's second-largest clothing exporter, after China.
However, economic headwinds have left many dissatisfied with the Hasina-led government, following a spike in food costs and months of chronic power outages in 2022.
In June, the government cut Bangladesh's annual GDP growth target and pledged to rein in spending as the country grapples with an economy hit by soaring inflation, an unstable exchange rate and rapidly depleting foreign exchange reserves.
Hasina herself has been accused of being a hard-line leader, and the government she leads has been accused of violating many rights and abusing state institutions to consolidate power.
Minh Duc (According to ABC Net News, France24)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/bangladesh-trong-tinh-huong-chua-tung-co-khi-thu-tuong-voi-roi-dat-nuoc-204240806164430465.htm
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