Dhaka [Bangladesh], February 18: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman was sworn in as the country's new Prime Minister on Tuesday, alongside his Cabinet colleagues, following his party's resounding victory in last week's general election.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to the prime minister and ministers at a crowded ceremony held on the South Plaza of the parliament building in Dhaka. The event was broadcast live on television.
The 60-year-old leader takes over the leadership of the 170-million-strong nation from the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Rahman plans to lead a 50-member Cabinet over the next five years. The allocation of ministerial portfolios is expected to be made public later. This transition concludes an 18-month interim period that followed the student-led uprising in August 2024, which ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and ended her 15-year rule.
The BNP was founded in 1978 by then-president Ziaur Rahman, Tarique Rahman's father. The party was led for nearly four decades by his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, following Ziaur Rahman's assassination in 1981.
Tarique Rahman became party chief in January, days after his mother's passing on December 30. Under Khaleda Zia's leadership, the BNP held power from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. The party had previously been in government from 1979 to 1982, until a bloodless military coup ousted the administration following Ziaur Rahman's death.
Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony was attended by Yunus, who was chief adviser to the interim administration, members of his Cabinet, politicians, foreign diplomats, and senior civil and military officers.
Notable foreign dignitaries included Om Birla, speaker of the Indian parliament, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary.
Source: Qatar Tribune
