Bangladesh President To Swear In Tarique Rahman Cabinet At Parliament On February 17

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin is to administer the oath of office to the new cabinet headed by BNP chairman Tarique Rahman on February 17 at the South Plaza of the National Parliament complex, in a break from the usual practice of holding the event at the presidential palace.

PTI reported that a Bangabhaban official, speaking on condition of anonymity on Saturday, said: "We have been informed that the President will administer the oath of office (to the new cabinet) on Tuesday at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) complex."

According to PTI, the newspapers Prothom Alo and Ittefaq reported that the ceremony would be followed by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administering the oath to the newly elected parliament members, rather than Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, as provided for in the Constitution. The Third Schedule of the Constitution lists the CEC as the third choice for the task in the absence of the outgoing parliament's speaker and deputy speaker.

The Constitution requires the cabinet oath-taking to be followed immediately by the swearing-in of new parliament members.

PTI reported that Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid had earlier said the President would administer the oath to the new cabinet at Bangabhaban, in line with the Constitution, but gave no date for the event.

"If we are instructed or indicated that it will be held on a certain date and at a certain time, we will work accordingly. Even if it is tomorrow, we will have to prepare for tomorrow," the top bureaucrat said.

Earlier on Saturday, one of Rahman's key aides, who did not wish to be named, told PTI that the existing scenario had made things a little complicated.

"The speaker of the last parliament is supposed to administer the oath of office to the MPs, but she resigned and is living in an undisclosed location while the deputy speaker is in jail," he said.

"In these circumstances, he said, the President might select someone to administer the oath and the Constitution kept a provision for that".

Meanwhile, the public administration ministry issued a statement saying that Muhammad Yunus's interim government had scrapped Cabinet Secretary Rashid's contractual appointment, replacing him with Siraj Uddin Mia, who is currently serving as Chief Adviser Yunus's principal secretary.

Rashid, however, told reporters that he resigned a few days ago and his resignation was accepted on Saturday.

Yunus's interim government had appointed Rashid, a retired additional secretary to the government, as the top bureaucrat on October 14, 2024, for two years.

(With inputs from PTI)