Dhaka:Tarique Rahman and all elected BNP MPs took oaths at the National Parliament building in Dhaka on Tuesday, marking a historic turning point in the country's political history. This historic event comes after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a resounding victory in the 13th Parliamentary Elections on February 12. Tarique Rahman and his first cabinet were sworn in by President Mohammed Shahabuddin. In order to accommodate a large guest list of about 1,200 people, the ceremony was held in the South Plaza of the National Parliament complex. Twenty-four newly elected MPs took the oath of office as state ministers, while the 25 elected members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were sworn in as ministers.
209 of 297 seats were won by Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).In the 13th Parliamentary elections, Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won 209 of 297 seats, while the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats. The Awami League, led by former premier Sheikh Hasina, was prohibited from running for office.
All newly elected members of the parliament were sworn in by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. According to a secretariat press release, all 297 recently elected lawmakers of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) first took the oath of office as members of parliament (MPs) before becoming members of the Constitutional Reform Council.
To choose the parliamentary party leader, the BNP has scheduled a meeting at the Parliament Building at 11:30 a.m. "Our party chairman, Tarique Rahman, will be the Prime Minister as the leader of the majority party," stated Salah Uddin Ahmed, a BNP standing committee member.
According to the Constitution, the BNP MPs will choose their leader as soon as they are sworn in, and the president will then invite them to form a government, a Bangabhaban presidential palace official stated on Monday.
India was represented at Rahman's swearing-in ceremony by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Birla was also expected to be accompanied by Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha Utpal Kumar Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Muhammad Yunus is replaced by Tarique Rahman.Rahman would take over as prime minister for the first time. He will succeed Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, whose leadership caused a major deterioration in Dhaka's ties with New Delhi. Following the massive anti-government protests, Hasina's Awami League regime fell, and Yunus assumed power in August 2024.
Rahman visited the homes of his political rivals, such as National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman, following his party's victory. He greeted them and engaged in friendly conversations.
Rahman warned that division would threaten democracy and urged "national unity" and "peace" in the national interest during a press conference held after the election. He claimed that the nation's institutions are weak, its economy is fragile, and its law and order situation is getting worse.
After living in self-exile in London for 17 years, Rahman, the son of late President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, returned home two months ago. Despite having dynastic credentials, he has never held a public position. His family background, according to analysts, gave him a certain political savvy.
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