Bangladesh’s New Prime Minister Is Sworn In After His Party’s Landslide Election Win

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’ s caller premier curate was sworn successful connected Tuesday aft his party’s landslide triumph successful parliamentary elections past week, nan country’s first since nan monolithic 2024 uprising and a ballot billed arsenic cardinal to nan nation’s early governmental scenery aft years of aggravated rivalry and disputed polls.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, whose word will past for 5 years, is nan boy of erstwhile Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and erstwhile President Ziaur Rahman. He is besides Bangladesh’s first antheral premier curate successful 35 years. Since 1991, erstwhile Bangladesh returned to democracy, either Rahman’s mother aliases her archrival Sheikh Hasina had served arsenic premier ministers.

The country’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered nan oath of agency for Rahman. Dozens of Cabinet members and members of nan caller authorities were besides being sworn successful connected Tuesday.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its partners won 212 seats successful nan 350-member Parliament while an 11-party confederation led by nan Jamaat-e-Islami party, nan country’s largest Islamist party, won 77 seats to beryllium nan opposition.

A caller statement — nan National Citizen Party, aliases NCP — formed by nan student leaders who led nan 2024 uprising was portion of nan 11-party confederation led by Jamaat-e-Islami. The NCP secured six seats.

In Bangladesh, voters elite 300 members of Parliament straight while nan remaining 50 posts are reserved for women and distributed proportionately among nan winning parties.

Rahman, 60, who returned to nan state successful December — aft 17 years successful self-exile successful London and soon earlier his mother’s decease — has promised to activity for populist successful Bangladesh, a state of 170 cardinal people.

An interim authorities led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, that took complete aft Hasina was toppled, oversaw nan election. The ballot was mostly serene and deemed arsenic acceptable by world observers.

Foreign dignitaries and diplomats attended nan ceremonial Tuesday. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and an Indian delegation were among nan guests, arsenic good arsenic dignitaries from Nepal, Sri Lanka and different countries.

Earlier connected Tuesday morning, caput of nan predetermination committee A.N.M. Nasir Uddin administered nan oath of agency separately to each nan recently elected lawmakers.

But lawmakers from nan BNP refused to return a 2nd oath arsenic members of a projected Constitutional Reform Council successful statement pinch a referendum held simultaneously pinch Thursday’s balloting. The interim authorities said nan “Yes” broadside won nan referendum and it made nan statement pinch a group of reforms proposals to alteration nan constitution keeping each nan elected lawmakers arsenic its members.

The referendum stemmed from a nationalist charter successful ray of nan uprising and awesome parties including nan BNP signed it. Lawmakers elected from nan Jamaat-e-Islami and its friends took nan 2nd oath, signaling complexity successful nan caller Parliament.

The referendum refers governmental reforms that see premier ministerial word limits, stronger checks connected executive powerfulness and different safeguards preventing parliamentary powerfulness consolidation. But critics opportunity rising Islamists are pushing difficult for its implementation while nan referendum has immoderate schedule that could moreover alteration nan characteristic of Bangladesh’s mostly secular constitution.

Rahman’s main rival Bangladesh Awami League statement headed by Hasina — who was ousted successful nan 2024 wide uprising — was banned from nan race. The Yunus-led management besides banned each activities of Hasina’s party, which had ruled nan state for 15 years.

From her exile successful India, wherever she has lived since Aug. 5, 2024, Hasina slammed nan ballot arsenic unfair to her party, which still remains a awesome governmental force. At home, Hasina was sentenced to decease connected charges of crimes against humanity because of hundreds of deaths stemming from nan uprising.

She denied nan allegation and termed nan tribunal arsenic a “kangaroo court.”

Alam writes for nan Associated Press.