Dhaka, Feb 17 (IANS) The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is set to return to power in the South Asian nation after nearly two decades, as the newly elected MPs prepare to take oath on Tuesday.
The oath-taking ceremony for the cabinet will be held at the South Plaza of the Parliament Building, according to local media reports.
The reports further suggest that holding such ceremonies at the South Plaza instead of the Presidential Palace is to commemorate those who lost their lives during the violent July protests of 2024.
The ceremony is expected to mark a significant political moment for Bangladesh as it transitions to a newly elected administration following the BNP's decisive victory.
All 297 newly elected MPs will be sworn in at 10:00 a.m. by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin in the Oath Room of the Parliament. They will then assume membership in the Constitutional Reform Council, according to a leading Bangladeshi daily, The Dhaka Tribune.
The BNP, led by its chairman Tarique Rahman, secured a sweeping mandate in the recent parliamentary elections, paving the way for the formation of a new government.
Around 1,200 dignitaries from Bangladesh and abroad are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected government, scheduled to take place on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building in Dhaka.
Several prominent international figures are set to be present at the ceremony. Among those expected to attend are Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
Nepal will be represented by its Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, while Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa is also slated to participate in the event.
The United Kingdom's Under-Secretary for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, is expected to attend as well. There is also a possibility that Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu may participate in the ceremony.
Invitations have been sent out in accordance with established diplomatic norms, and confirmations from some of the invited nations are still awaited.
The 13th parliamentary election was conducted on February 12, and the Election Commission published the official gazette notification of the victorious candidates on the night of February 13.
Preparations for the oath-taking ceremony are already underway at the Jatiya Sangsad secretariat. Traditionally, the ceremony is held in the designated oath room at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Polling was held for 299 of the 300 seats in the 13th parliamentary election. The Election Commission declared unofficial results for 297 constituencies. However, the gazette notifications for Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4 have not yet been issued following a directive from the High Court.
According to the results announced so far, the BNP won 209 out of 297 seats, with its candidates leading in the two constituencies, including Chattogram-2 and 4, where results have been withheld. Their allies have claimed three seats.
On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami has won 68 seats, while the partners in the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance secured nine seats. Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) claimed one seat, and independent candidates won in seven constituencies, Prothom Alo reported.
With Tarique Rahman now set to lead Bangladesh -- the country last saw a male PM almost 35 years ago -- experts warn that the nation faces a massive challenge of overcoming the unrest and rising Islamist extremism that marked the 18-month tenure of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
--IANS
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