In a historic shift for the nation’s political trajectory, Tarique Rahman, along with all elected BNP MPs, took oath at the National Parliament building in Dhaka on Tuesday. This landmark ceremony follows the 13th Parliamentary Elections held on February 12, where the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a landslide victory. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to Tarique Rahman and his initial cabinet. The ceremony was held at the National Parliament complex’s South Plaza to accommodate a massive guest list of approximately 1,200 attendees. Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) 25 elected MPs were sworn-in as ministers and 24 other newly elected MPs took the oath of state ministers.
Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats in the 13th Parliamentary elections. Deposed premier Sheikh Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting polls.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath to all newly elected members of the parliament. All 297 newly elected lawmakers of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) first took oath as the members of parliament (MPs) and then as the members of the Constitutional Reform Council, said a press release of secretariat.
BNP has called a parliamentary party meeting at the Parliament Building at 11:30 am to elect the parliamentary party leader. "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 standing committee of the BNP.
The Constitutional dictates - immediately after their swearing-in, the BNP MPs will elect their leader who will be invited by the President to form the government, a Bangabhaban presidential palace official said on Monday.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at the swearing-in ceremony of Rahman. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Secretary-General of Lok Sabha Utpal Kumar Singh were also likely to accompany Birla.
Tarique Rahman replaces Muhammad Yunus
Rahman would become the prime minister for the first time. He will replace the interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, under whose tenure Dhaka's relations with New Delhi witnessed a significant downturn. Yunus took charge in August 2024 after the collapse of Hasina's Awami League regime following the massive anti-government protests.
After his party's victory, Rahman visited the homes of his political rivals, including Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam, where he exchanged greetings and held cordial discussions.
In a post-election press conference, Rahman called for "national unity" and "peace" in the national interest, warning that divisiveness would undermine democracy. He said the country faces a fragile economy, weakened institutions, and a deteriorating law and order situation.
Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and BNP's founder, late President Ziaur Rahman, returned home two months ago after 17 years of self-exiled life in London. His principal credentials are dynastic, but he has not held any public office so far. Analysts say the family background earned him a sort of political acumen.
