Foreign Minister Balananda Sharma is also participating in the oath-taking ceremony.
What you should know
Bangladesh National Party (BNP) Chairman Tariq Rahman is being sworn in as Prime Minister today (Tuesday). The BNP won more than two-thirds of the seats in the parliamentary elections held last Thursday.
The oath-taking ceremony has been held at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh Parliament Building. Bangladeshi media outlet The Daily Star has reported that preparations have been made for the swearing-in of MPs at 10 am and the swearing-in of ministers including the Prime Minister at 4 pm.
In the past, the oath-taking ceremony used to be held at the Durbar Hall in Banga Bhawan. This is also the residence of the President. According to Bangladeshi media outlets, this time the ceremony has been held at the South Plaza of the Parliament Building due to the large number of guests invited.
According to Bangladeshi media outlet Protham Alo, the interim government's chief advisor (Prime Minister) Mohammad Yunus has sent invitations to the heads of government of Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Qatar, Malaysia and Brunei for the swearing-in ceremony.
Foreign Minister Balananda Sharma is participating in the swearing-in ceremony from Nepal. He has left for Dhaka on Monday for that. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday stating that the visit of the Foreign Minister will further strengthen the relations between Nepal and Bangladesh.
A total of eight parties will be represented in the new parliament, of which the top leaders of five parties are elected as MPs for the first time. Of the 209 MPs of the BNP, 132 are new. Of the 68 MPs of the Jamaat-e-Islami, 59 are new. All six MPs of the National Citizens Party (NCP), which was born after the student movement, are new. Six of the seven independents are elected for the first time. Former Prime Minister Hasina Wajed's Awami League party was banned from participating in the elections.
