India has praised the BNP's "decisive win"
After a landslide victory in the national election, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers have formally elected their chief, Tarique Rahman, as the leader of parliament and the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Here Are 10 Points On This Big Story:
- Tarique Rahman was formally elected as the next Bangladesh Prime Minister in the BNP parliamentary party meeting held after all newly elected MPs took the oath of office at the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament building) in Dhaka on Tuesday. The new prime minister-to-be is set to take over from the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, which has steered the country of 170 million people for 18 months since the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown.
- Rahman will become Bangladesh's first male head of government in 35 years. His ascent to power signals the end of an era in Bangladeshi politics dominated exclusively by two women – his mother, Khaleda Zia, and long-time rival Sheikh Hasina. Zia became the country's first female prime minister in 1991 and served multiple terms. Later Awami League leader Hasina went on to become the longest-serving prime minister in Bangladesh's history, holding office across successive mandates beginning in 1996 and later in 2008, 2014, 2018, and 2024.
- 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 pm at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building in Dhaka.
- According to the official schedule, President Mohammad Shahabuddin would administer the oath of office of the cabinet, installing the BNP in power in the afternoon. The BNP coalition won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance in the 13th parliamentary election.
- Jamaat, which secured more than a quarter of seats in parliament—a fourfold increase on its previous best—has challenged results in 32 constituencies. But Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman, 67, has also said the Islamist party would "serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition."
- Hasina's Awami League party was barred from taking part in the elections. The 78-year-old ousted leader, who was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, has termed the elections "illegal."
- The BNP has, meanwhile, declined the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government's proposal to take a second oath as members of the "Constitution Reform Council" to endorse the referendum staged simultaneously with the general election. The second oath was aimed at obligating MPs to implement the much-drummed-up "July Charter," demanding the Constitution be massively rewritten, while the 84-point complex proposal was laid out in the referendum in a cognised but nearly esoteric form for voting.
- India has praised the BNP's "decisive win"—a notable shift after deeply strained ties. In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, "I convey my warm congratulations to Tarique Rahman on leading BNP to a decisive victory in the parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. This victory shows the trust of the people of Bangladesh in your leadership." PM Modi also assured the incoming dispensation that India will continue to stand in "support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh."
- The prime minister's remarks indicate he's extending a hand of friendship to Bangladesh after the ties saw some strains under interim Chief Muhammad Yunus's leadership. The BNP, however, asserted that Bangladesh's foreign policy will prioritise the country's interests over others.
- Rahman, the 60-year-old scion of one of Bangladesh's most powerful political dynasties, won a landslide victory in the February 12 elections. His victory marks a remarkable turnaround for a man who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile in Britain, far from Dhaka's political storms.
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