TIME TO READ THE RIOT ACT TO MUHAMMAD YUNUS

If there is anything crystal clear about the situation in Bangladesh, it is that the Muhammad Yunus government is unelected and brought to power undemocratically, with military support in a coup backed by the United States.

- JOYEETA BASU

This can be said without indulging in any whataboutery about the Hasina government. Even if Hasina is branded a dictator, nothing changes the fact that the Yunus government is illegitimate and unconstitutional. According to the Bangladeshi Constitution, electing a new government must take place inside three months inside the fall of a government-three months that are long gone, since Hasina had stepped down on 5 August. Ever since Yunus has been installed in Dhaka by the Americans-he has the backing of Democrats such as Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama-there has been talk of reforming the electoral system and then holding election. But as it is becoming increasingly apparent, there is no deadline for reforming that system, notwithstanding Yunus' vague promise of holding the elections perhaps towards the end of 2025 or 2026.

It's possibly fearing rising criticism that the US has helped install an illegitimate government in Dhaka that the White House decided to speak with Yunus this week. However, the readout of the phone call between NSA Jake Sullivan and Yunus is hypocritical, because it mentions democracy, no sign of which is there in Bangladesh, and this in spite of the spin given about a students' revolution unshackling the country from the grip of a dictator. "Sullivan reiterated the United States' support for a prosperous, stable, and democratic Bangladesh", says the readout. Unless of course it was a signal to Yunus that he should start the process of holding elections.