DHAKA, Bangladesh — After Bangladesh’s prime minister resigned in the face of violent unrest, one name has emerged as a possible caretaker until new elections are announced: Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate known as the “banker to the poorest of the poor” and a longtime critic of the outgoing leader.

Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country Monday after weeks of protests over a quota system for allocating government jobs turned into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule, which was marked by a rising economy but an increasingly authoritarian streak.