Newly elected Members of Parliament and cabinet members are set to be sworn in on Tuesday, February 17, following the landslide victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the 13th national election.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly said the MPs will take oath at 10 am at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will administer the oath.
Later in the afternoon, at 4pm, President Mohammed Shahabuddin will swear in the new cabinet members at the South Plaza of Parliament.
According to constitutional procedures, after the MPs are sworn in, the parliamentary party that commands a majority will hold a meeting to elect its leader.
The elected leader will then meet the President to formally stake claim to form the government.
The President will first administer the oath to the Prime Minister, followed by ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers. The Cabinet Division will subsequently issue a gazette notification allocating portfolios.
Preparations for the ceremony are underway, officials said, with around 1,000 guests expected to attend.
BNP secured 209 seats in Thursday’s parliamentary election, held alongside a referendum.
The Election Commission has published gazette notifications for 297 lawmakers, while the results in two constituencies remain withheld under court orders.
Meanwhile, BNP leaders said invitations will be extended to about a dozen heads of government from the region to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
According to Humayun Kabir, BNP joint secretary general (international relations), leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are expected to be invited.
A foreign ministry official said invitations have also been sent to several South Asian and Asian countries, including China.
Kabir said the incoming BNP government aims to strengthen bilateral ties with India and other countries based on mutual respect and shared interests.
He described External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s attendance at former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral and Modi’s congratulatory phone call to Tarique Rahman as positive diplomatic gestures.
Separately, the government has cancelled the remaining tenure of Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid’s contractual appointment.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in this regard.
In a separate order, M Siraj Uddin Mia, principal secretary to the chief adviser, has been given additional charge as secretary of the Cabinet Division.
At a post-election press conference in Dhaka, Tarique Rahman said maintaining peace and law and order would be the top priority of the new government.
Urging political actors to show restraint, he warned that no form of anarchy would be tolerated and called for national unity in the post-election period.
