Why Tarique Rahman's Swearing-In Is Departure From Past For Bangladesh

Tarique Rahman's swearing in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh will see several firsts for his country, including the ceremony taking place in the presence of foreign leaders, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. And, in another break from tradition, the ceremony will not be held at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, which is the office and residence of the President.

Instead it will take place at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad, the parliament.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the Prime Minister-elect and new cabinet members – expected to number fewer than 30 from the current 43, the maximum – on Tuesday afternoon. New MPs will be sworn in at the same venue in the morning.

There was speculation new MPs would take a separate oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council, as is mandated by the July Charter. But the BNP believes it will be more appropriate to follow the provisions of the existing constitution, which has provisions only for the swearing-in of MPs and not for a CRC or a similar body.

As a result, the MPs are likely to take oath as CRC members separately.

The July charter stipulated that a Constitutional Reform Council should now be formed comprising of the MPs elected in the 13th parliamentary election.

Meanwhile, the reduction in number of ministries, sources said, is part of Rahman's plan to merge overlapping portfolios and also restore ministries split by the Awami League government led by the deposed Sheikh Hasina. The idea is to streamline the government structure.

According to the existing rules, after the swearing-in ceremony a meeting of the Parliamentary Board of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which secured an overwhelming majority in last week's election, will be held to elect its parliamentary leader.

The leader will then meet the President and stake claim to form the government. The President will appoint the leader as Prime Minister, who will then select other cabinet colleagues.

According to the Constitution of Bangladesh, the new MPs have to take oath within three days of the gazette publication by the Election Commission of Bangladesh. The EC published the gazette for 297 out of 299 parliamentary seats on Friday, the day of the election.

Foreign leaders in attendance this time

Bangladesh has invited the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan.

Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Topgay and Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, with his Foreign Minister, Dr Abdulla Khaleel, will attend the ceremony. Nepal's Foreign Minister, Bala Nanda Sharma will attend. Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Sri Lanka's Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa will also attend the event, as will representatives of other nations.

The United Kingdom's Indo-Pacific Under-Secretary, Seema Malhotra, is also expected.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India.

Meeting opposition leaders before the ceremony

Bangladesh's PM-elect is writing a new political grammar in a country where political animosity often overrides political courtesy.

The move to visit principal opponents at their homes before the swearing-in ceremony shows that Rahman plans to keep his word of running an inclusive government, and wants to avoid confrontational politics with his opponents. This is to ensure the focus remains on challenges facing Bangladesh. Opposition leaders will also be invited to the swearing-in ceremony.

In fact, BNP sources told NDTV even losing candidates will receive an invitation to underline the message of inclusion. This is something Rahman wants to ensure as he takes charge of a country that has seen an extended period of instability following the protests of July 2024, which led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country.

Rahman had earlier also said his party would not hold victory celebrations.