MPs, cabinet members to take oath today
Staff Reporter :
Newly elected Members of Parliament and cabinet members are set to take oath today in a historic ceremony at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, marking the formal transition to a new government.
The oath-taking of 297 MPs will begin at 10:00am on Tuesday, administered by Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will later administer the oath to the prime minister and members of the new cabinet at 4:00pm at the same venue.
Breaking with long-standing tradition, the cabinet swearing-in will not be held at Bangabhaban’s Darbar Hall.
Instead, both the parliamentary and cabinet ceremonies will take place in an open-air at the parliament’s South Plaza, in line with the preference of the incoming administration.
The Election Commission of Bangladesh issued a gazette notification on Friday night declaring winners in 297 of the 299 constituencies where voting was held in the 13th parliamentary election.
Under the Constitution, elected MPs must take oath within three days of the gazette’s publication.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured 209 seats on its own and 212 seats with its alliance partners-more than a two-thirds majority-paving the way to form the next government.
The 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won 77 seats and is expected to sit in opposition, while other parties and independents claimed the remaining seats.
Following the morning oath, MPs from the majority party will convene on the ninth floor of the parliament building to elect their parliamentary party leader.
The elected leader will formally inform the President that he commands the confidence of the House.
The President will then appoint him prime minister and invite him to form the new cabinet, whose members will be sworn in at 4:00pm.
Officials at the Cabinet Division said the venue shift required significant logistical adjustments.
While administering the oath to MPs involves limited formalities, a cabinet swearing-in entails inviting domestic and foreign dignitaries, arranging hospitality, and coordinating multiple stages for the prime minister, ministers and state ministers.
Organisers have reworked the programme to ensure the event proceeds smoothly and with due dignity despite the short notice.
Extensive preparations have been completed inside and outside the parliament complex.
Cleaning and maintenance work has continued, offices allocated to MPs have been readied, and giant screens and CCTV cameras installed at the South Plaza.
Security has been tightened, with police, intelligence personnel and Ansar deployed at entry points.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police imposed traffic restrictions on Manik Mia Avenue and Lake Road from 8:00am to 7:00pm, urging commuters to use alternative routes due to anticipated public gatherings and VVIP movement.
The parliament complex had sustained damage during the mass uprising of 5 August 2024, and repairs are ongoing.
Preparations for the swearing-in began shortly after the gazette was published, symbolising the country’s political transition eighteen months after the unrest.
Around 1,200 local and international guests are expected to attend. Among the foreign dignitaries, Sri Lanka’s Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has arrived from Colombo to attend the cabinet oath of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma is scheduled to arrive on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight and will return home on 19 February.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushila Karki earlier congratulated Tarique Rahman on his party’s victory and expressed interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation.
From Pakistan, Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal will attend the swearing-in on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently on an official foreign visit.
Traditionally, governments have taken oath at Bangabhaban. In 1971, however, Bangladesh’s first government was sworn in at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur. The first constitutional government of independent Bangladesh assumed office on 12 January 1972 under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The ceremony at the South Plaza-also a venue for major events during the interim administration, including the signing of the July Charter-ushers in a new chapter in the country’s politics and formally brings to a close the interim government led by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, who has already delivered his farewell address at his Jamuna office.