Tarique Rahman set to take oath as Bangladesh PM today, Om Birla to attend the ceremony

Bangladesh is set for a political transition on Tuesday evening as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman prepares to take oath as prime minister after his party’s decisive victory in the parliamentary elections.

Rahman’s BNP secured 209 of 297 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 in the 13th parliamentary polls. Former premier Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting, turning the election into a direct contest between the BNP and Jamaat.

This will be Rahman’s first term as prime minister, replacing interim administration head Muhammad Yunus, who assumed charge in August 2024 after the collapse of the Awami League government amid mass protests. During Yunus’s tenure, relations between Dhaka and New Delhi deteriorated.

Oath ceremony schedule and venue

Breaking precedent, the swearing-in ceremony will be held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad instead of Bangabhaban.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the cabinet at 4 pm on Tuesday, according to the state-run BSS news agency.

“The Parliament Secretariat is set to hold the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet members at 4:00 pm tomorrow,” Secretary of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Kaniz Maula said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will administer the oath to newly elected lawmakers. All 297 MPs will first take oath as members of parliament and then as members of the Constitutional Reform Council.

“As the leader of the majority party, our party chairman, Tarique Rahman, will be the Prime Minister,” said Salah Uddin Ahmed, a member of the BNP standing committee.

The BNP has called a parliamentary party meeting at 11:30 am to formally elect its leader before the President invites him to form the government.

Guests and diplomatic presence

Around 1,200 domestic and foreign guests are expected to attend. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Lok Sabha Secretary-General Utpal Kumar Singh.

Maldives President Mohammed Muizzoo, Turkish Undersecretary Beris Ekinci and Sri Lanka’s Health and Mass Media Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa are also expected.

Return after exile and political background

Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and late President Ziaur Rahman, returned to Bangladesh two months ago after 17 years in self-imposed exile in London. He has never held public office before.

Election context

The February 12 election followed a period of political instability and violence, including attacks on minorities after the fall of Hasina’s 15-year rule.

Four minority candidates from the BNP, including two Hindus, a Buddhist and a Chakma community leader, won seats. Hindus constitute roughly eight per cent of Bangladesh’s 170 million population.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami leader AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad said the party would play a constructive opposition role.

(With inputs from PTI)