Distinguished Professor of political science Dr. Ali Riaz has been named to lead a commission to reform the constitution of Bangladesh by the interim government of Bangladesh led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. The appointment was announced by the government on September 18.
The Constitution Reform Commission is one of the six commissions appointed by the government to bring about changes in the country’s various sectors including judiciary, civil administration, and electoral commission. Yunus became the chief advisor of the government on August 8, three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was deposed in a popular upsurge and fled the country. Hundreds of people have been killed during the upsurge. The movement was spearheaded by students and reforming systems to prevent the rise of autocracy.
Riaz joined Illinois State University in 2002. He is also a non-resident senior fellow of the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council and the president of the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS).
