Members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, victorious in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, took their oaths of office on Tuesday (February 17). Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath to the Members of Parliament (MPs). With this ceremony, Bangladesh has advanced another step towards formalizing governance under an elected administration following the recent mass uprising.
Having secured an absolute majority in the election, the BNP is naturally set to dominate the parliament. The party had previously finalized its decisions regarding the formation of the cabinet. Although the ceremony at the Parliament’s oath-taking room was scheduled for 10:00 am, elected MPs began arriving at the complex after 9:00 am. Around 10:45 am, 212 newly elected MPs from the BNP and like-minded parties were sworn in.
Despite earlier indications of a potential boycott, newly elected MPs from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ultimately took their oaths at noon. The ceremony began just before 12:30 pm at the National Parliament. Earlier in the morning, Jamaat Naib-e-Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher had told the media that if BNP MPs did not take the oath as members of a “Constitution Reform Council,” Jamaat representatives would also refrain from doing so. However, they eventually attended the scheduled ceremony, taking their oaths after the BNP members. Following the two major parties, elected representatives of the National Citizens Party (NCP) were sworn in at 1:00
Following the oath-taking ceremony, a meeting of the BNP parliamentary party was held at 11:30 am. During the meeting, the party’s Acting Chairman, Tarique Rahman, was unanimously elected as the Leader of the House and Prime Minister. Additionally, the first meeting of the parliamentary party reached a decision that no BNP MP would accept duty-free vehicles or government-allotted plots of land.
Traditionally, new MPs are sworn in within three days of the official gazette publication. According to Article 148 of the Constitution, the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament is responsible for administering the oath. However, in the changed circumstances following the student-people uprising of 2024, there is currently no Speaker, and the Deputy Speaker is incarcerated. Consequently, the Chief Election Commissioner fulfilled the duty of administering the oath this time.
Security has been tightened around the National Parliament area, with traffic movement controlled for the occasion. The swearing-in ceremony for the new cabinet members is scheduled to take place at 4:00 pm today at the South Plaza of the National Parliament. This marks the official beginning of the elected government’s journey following the August 5 uprising.
Breaking with the tradition of holding cabinet oath-taking ceremonies at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, this event has been organized under the open sky at the South Plaza—a historic exception. Approximately 1,200 local and foreign guests, including representatives from India, Pakistan, and other South Asian nations, are expected to attend the ceremony.