Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus threatens to resign amid political turmoil

Bangladesh's interim leader, who took over after a mass uprising last year, has threatened to resign if parties do not give him their backing, a political ally and sources in his office said Thursday.

The South Asian nation of some 170 million people has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt forced then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee in August 2024.

But this week has seen an escalation in political crisis with rival parties protesting on the streets of the capital Dhaka with a string of competing demands.

Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker government as its chief advisor until elections, told his cabinet he wanted to quit if political parties did not give him their full support, a source inside his office said.

"He wanted to tender his resignation, but his cabinet members persuaded him not to", the source told AFP.

- 'Reconsidering' -

Nahid Islam, leader of the National Citizen Party -- made up of many of the students who spearheaded the uprising against Hasina -- met with Yunus on Thursday evening, another top NCP leader Ariful Islam Adeeb said.

"They spoke about the current political situation", Adeeb told AFP.

"The chief adviser said he is reconsidering whether he can continue his duties under the current circumstances".

But Nahid Islam -- who had initially been part of Yunus's cabinet before resigning to form a political party -- "urged him to remain in office", Adeeb said.

Shafiqur Rahman, the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, has urged Yunus to call an all-party meeting to address the crisis, a party official said.

- 'Chaotic phase' -

Yunus's reported threat to stand down comes a day after thousands of supporters of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rallied in Dhaka, holding large-scale protests against the interim government for the first time.

Yunus has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest, but supporters of the BNP -- seen as the frontrunners in highly anticipated elections that will be the first since Hasina was overthrown -- demanded he fix a date.

"If the government fails to meet public expectations, it will be difficult for the BNP to continue extending its support," senior BNP leader Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain told reporters Thursday.

"The highest priority should be placed on announcing a clear roadmap for the election".

The BNP also demanded Yunus sack two members of this cabinet, accusing them of being close to the NCP, as well as well as the national security advisor.

"Their presence in the council of advisers raises questions about the nonpartisan and impartial nature of the government," Hossain said.

"It seems the government is pushing forward the agenda of a particular group."

Yunus's relationship with the military has also reportedly deteriorated.

On Wednesday, it was reported that powerful army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said elections should be held by December.

"Bangladesh is passing through a chaotic phase," Waker-Uz-Zaman was quoted by newspapers as saying.

"The situation is worsening by the day. The structure of the civil administration and law enforcement agencies has collapsed and failed to reconstitute."