Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in as the head of the interim government of Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned following weeks of massive protests.
Yunus was named chief adviser of the interim government at a ceremony in the capital, Dhaka, on Thursday. He returned to the country from France earlier in the day.
He told reporters he would prioritize the restoration of law and order, saying violence and disorder are the biggest enemies toward progress.
Yunus is the founder of Grameen Bank, which extends small unsecured loans to underprivileged people. He and the bank won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
Hasina resigned on Monday after a police crackdown on nationwide student-led protests over civil service job quotas left scores of people dead or wounded.
No large riots have taken place since the collapse of the Hasina government but the security situation remains unstable. A hotel owned by a senior official of the ruling party under the Hasina government was set on fire by a mob. Places of worship for minority Hindus have also been vandalized.
The interim government is scheduled to preside over an election. Its main challenge will be overcoming the long-standing split between the ruling and opposition blocs and building a democratic political system.