In a sweeping move, the chairmen of all 495 Upazila councils and the mayors of all 323 municipalities across Bangladesh have been removed from their duties.

These local government representatives, elected during the tenure of the Awami League through farcical elections under the dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina, have been replaced by Upazila executive officers (UNOs) for the time being.

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives issued separate orders on Monday, implementing these changes. The removal comes in the wake of Hasina's fall, triggered by a popular revolt led by students on August 5.

Following this upheaval, many local government representatives have reportedly gone into hiding, fearing attacks. The government has acknowledged the disruption in local government institutions and has taken alternative measures, such as assigning UNOs to temporarily assume the responsibilities of the ousted officials.

The government is also moving to amend the law through an ordinance, which will enable the appointment of new administrators to these vacant posts. In the meantime, the interim government has appointed administrators for 61 Zilla Parishads across the country, filling the void left by absent chairmen.

Additional divisional commissioners (general) of the eight divisions—Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Barishal, Rangpur, Sylhet, Khulna, and Mymensingh—have been appointed as administrators. These officials will exercise power and perform their duties in their respective districts until further notice.