“Be calm and get ready to build the country. If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed.”
The 84-year-old will lead a caretaker government after mass protests forced longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee, the presidency has said.
Hasina fled by helicopter on Monday after more than a month of student-led protests, which started as a campaign against civil service job quotas but escalated into demands the leader quit.
“I congratulate the brave students who took the lead in making our Second Victory Day possible, and to the people for giving your total support to them,” Yunus added.
In January, he and three colleagues from one of the companies he founded were sentenced to jail terms of six months — but immediately bailed pending appeal — by a Dhaka labour court, which found they had illegally failed to create a workers’ welfare fund.
All four had denied the charges and, with courts accused of rubber-stamping decisions by Hasina’s government, the case was criticised as politically motivated by watchdogs including Amnesty International.
Rahman, who went into exile in London during Hasina’s rule, urged for elections to be swiftly held.
“The vote should be held as quickly as possible,” Rahman said, also urging calm.
Since Hasina fled, police reported mobs launching revenge attacks on her allies.
