Bangladesh Nationalist Party Set to Assume Power Tuesday
BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, 60 — son of the late former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and assassinated President Ziaur Rahman — is expected to be formally named prime minister after his party secured a crushing two-thirds majority in parliament. Rahman himself made a dramatic return to Bangladesh last December, ending 17 years of self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom.
The electoral results were decisive: the BNP claimed 209 of 300 parliamentary seats, with the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led bloc emerging as the principal opposition force, securing 77 seats. Voting on the remaining three constituencies has been postponed.
Oath-Taking and Cabinet Formation
All 297 newly elected lawmakers are scheduled to be sworn into office in the early hours of Tuesday, after which Rahman is expected to receive his formal designation as prime ministerial candidate. His Cabinet will follow with their own oath-taking ceremony later the same day.
Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani confirmed the timeline to reporters in Dhaka on Monday, with a cabinet of approximately three dozen ministers anticipated — a significantly leaner configuration compared to the BNP's last government in 2001, which comprised 60 cabinet members.
Housing preparations for incoming lawmakers and ministers are already underway. Outgoing interim government housing and public works advisor Adilur Rahman Khan told reporters Monday: "So far, we have prepared 37 houses. Preparations are underway to build a few more houses, if necessary."
High-Profile International Attendance
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to draw significant diplomatic attention, with a roster of foreign dignitaries confirmed to attend, including Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Indian Parliament Speaker Om Birla, Pakistan Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Nepal Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, Sri Lanka Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, and the United Kingdom's Under-Secretary for Indo-Pacific Affairs, Seema Malhotra.
End of an Interim Era
Once Rahman and his Cabinet are formally sworn in, the 20-member interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will relinquish power — concluding a transitional government that came to office under extraordinary circumstances.
The interim government was established in the wake of the July 2024 popular uprising that brought down the 15-year rule of Awami League Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on Aug. 5, 2024. Yunus and his team assumed office on Aug. 8, 2024, and oversaw last week's elections — delivering Bangladesh its first elected government in 18 months.
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