An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the Resignation of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid nationwide protests against the government. Following the dissolution of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad on 6 August 2024, the interim cabinet was in office until a new Prime Minister was appointed after a snap general election. The government, like the previous non-caretaker government interim administrations (in 1975 and 1990), is extra-constitutional. However, Appellate Division, Supreme Court of Bangladesh affirmed the legality of the stopgap government on 9 August 2024, stating that the doctrine of necessity created an urgent need to manage state affairs and address the constitutional vacuum, similar to previous cases. The main pledge of his ministry was to forge consensus about and implement fundamental reforms that are required to hold a free and fair general election and constitutional referendum on the July Charter alongside the election on 12 February 2026.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Yunus and his council of advisers at Bangabhaban on 8 August 2024. The cabinet consists of 1 Chief Adviser, 20 Advisers, 8 Special positions under the Chief Adviser's office and 5 Special assistants to the Chief Adviser under the Minister of State. The Jamuna State Guest House was served as the official residence of the Chief Adviser.
On 5 August 2024, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina resigned and went on a exile to India amidst a nationwide uprising. Initially focused on issues such as quota reforms, the movement gradually intensified following reports of violence and mass casualties. This was later referred to as the July uprising, culminated in calls for Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet to step down. The movement was widely perceived as pro-democratic in nature.
Following her resignation, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government. The president initiated discussions with political leaders across the country and dissolved the parliament on 6 August 2024. The Students Against Discrimination, lead organisation of the uprising, proposed economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was then residing in Paris, to head the interim government. Yunus accepted the proposal, and the interim government was finalized on 7 August 2024.
On 17 February 2026, followed by the landslide victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lead alliance in the 12th national election, Tarique Rahman took oath as Prime Minister along with a new cabinet marking the end of the Yunus lead interim government.
The following is the list of members of the interim government:
The ministry has formed eleven reform commissions to reform perceived important areas of the government. The Head of Commission will have a status of a Justice of Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
The details of the head of commission and members are as follows.
The Interim government led by Muhammad Yunus formed several new councils, committees, and commissions, and reformed existing ones to manage various areas of the government. The councils, committees, and commissions consists of Chief Adviser, several advisers and government officials. The details about the committees are as follows.
The ministry created a new Election Commission to conduct a snap election. The commission includes 1 Chief Election Commissioner and 4 Election Commissioners. The details are as follows:
The government created several investigation commissions to investigate on several incidents. Unlike the reform commissions these commissions are investigation commission.
The ministry formed a National Consensus Commission to decide on the process of reforms suggested by the reform commissions with different political parties and stake holders.
In spite of the existence of interim administrations in the 1975âÂÂ1978 (Sayem ministry) and 1990âÂÂ1991 (Shahabuddin Ahmed ministry) periods of Bangladeshi political history, there were significant concerns regarding the legality of an interim government, considering that the Constitution of Bangladesh does not allow for it to exist. The Constitution also forbids ouster clauses, following the doctrine of basic constitutional structure.
The only form of interim government that has been constitutional in the past under the country's law was the Caretaker government system introduced in 1996 through the 13th Amendment but this was overturned by the Awami League regime in 2011 through the 15th Amendment, which repealed the former.
However, with Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing the country amid protests, the Appellate Division of the Bangladeshi Supreme Court has acknowledged the legitimacy of the Yunus government under the doctrine of necessity. The court took the line that Hasina's resignation created a situation for which there was no constitutional remedy. Not only does the Bangladeshi legal system no longer account for transfers of power, but there was an urgent need to oversee state affairs. In essence, the court upheld what essentially amounts to the wording of the 13th Amendment prior to its suspension: "The Appellate Division opined that in accordance with Article 106 of the Constitution, an interim government can be formed with a chief advisor and a few other advisors in the absence of parliament" as per Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan. Hassan himself a staunch supporter of the ousted Awami League, has since resigned as Chief Justice.
Hence, despite the lack of constitutional legality for an interim government, due to extremely broad popular support and the need to ensure that a military junta takeover like in 1975 is prevented, Yunus was sworn in on the night of 8 August 2024. The Yunus government enjoys near-universal recognition from the international community, with many Head of state and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of other nations having congratulated Yunus upon his swearing-in.
On 17 November 2025, the Interim government sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death after being found guilty of committing various crimes against humanity. Hasina condemned the ruling as "biased and politically motivated" and alleged that "the death penalty is the interim government's way of nullifying her party the Awami League as a political force," in a five-page statement released after the verdict.