Bangladesh’s president dissolves parliament, sets ex-PM Zia free

Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday dissolved the national parliament paving the way for the formation of an interim government after prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster on Monday following mass protests.

"The decision for the dissolution of parliament was taken following the president's discussions with chiefs of three staffs of armed forces, leaders of different political parties, representatives of civil society and leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement,” Bangabhaban, the office of Bangladesh’s ceremonial president, said in a press statement.

The parliament that came into being after the January 7 election was boycotted by major political parties. Hasina became prime minister as her Awami League party had won an overwhelming majority.

The Bangabhaban release also said that former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is chairwoman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Hasina’s main political rival, was released. On Monday the government said she would be freed.

Zia was convicted in graft cases in 2018 and was living at her home in Dhaka after she was conditionally released from the jail on humanitarian grounds in 2022, as the government suspended her jail term.

The statement also said that the process of releasing political prisoners, including those who were arrested during the anti-discrimination student movement, has started.