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New start: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin swears in Tarique Rahman. Photo: Reuters
DAKAR:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was sworn in on Tuesday to lead the first elected government since the deadly 2024 uprising, facing a daunting list of challenges.
The priority for Rahman, 60, will be to improve security, heal divisions in a country polarized by years of bitter rivalry and tackle the economic woes of the world’s second-largest clothing exporter.
Rahman succeeds the interim government that has ruled the country of 170 million people for 18 months since the overthrow of the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina.
“I will faithfully fulfill the functions of Prime Minister of the government, in accordance with the law,” he declared, sworn in by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, during a ceremony organized in front of the Parliament building and broadcast on state television.
Rahman, leader of the BNP and scion of one of the country’s most powerful political dynasties, won a landslide victory in the Feb. 12 election.
“This victory belongs to Bangladesh, it belongs to democracy,” Rahman said in his victory speech on Saturday.
“This victory belongs to those who aspire to democracy and who have sacrificed for it.”
The new leader has pledged to restore stability and revive growth after months of turmoil that shook investor confidence in the world’s second-largest clothing exporter.
He also called on all parties to “stay united” in a country polarized by years of bitter rivalry.
“We are about to begin our journey in a situation marked by a fragile economy left behind by authoritarian rule, weakened constitutional and statutory institutions and a deteriorating law and order situation,” he added in his victory speech.
After Rahman took the oath, his ministers then lined up to take the oath.
The lawmakers, all of whom had pledged their loyalty to Bangladesh, were earlier sworn in in Parliament by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin before BNP members chose Rahman as their leader.
Rahman’s victory marks a remarkable turnaround for a man who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile in Britain, far from the political storms of Dhaka.
The BNP coalition won 212 seats, compared to 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance.
Jamaat, which won more than a quarter of the seats in parliament – four times more than its previous record – contested the results in 32 constituencies.
But Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman, 67, also said the Islamist party would “serve as a vigilant, principled and peaceful opposition.”
Hasina’s Awami League party was not allowed to participate in the elections.
Hasina, 78, who was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, issued a statement from hiding in India, denouncing an “illegal” election.
But India welcomed the BNP’s “decisive victory” – a notable change after deeply strained relations.
Only seven women were directly elected, although another 50 seats reserved for women will be allocated to parties based on their vote share.
Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus – a population that makes up about seven percent of Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Despite weeks of turbulence in the run-up to the vote, polling day passed without major unrest and the country has so far reacted to the results with relative calm.
“If the BNP can do a good job on the economy, it will make everything else easier for the government,” said Crisis Group analyst Thomas Kean.
“This will help create a level of stability and address many other challenges beyond the economy.”
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Tarique Rahman on taking oath as Prime Minister.
In a message on X, the President appreciated the role of the caretaker government in conducting peaceful and fair elections. He also conveyed his best wishes for stability and prosperity to Bangladesh and expressed hope for stronger Pakistan-Bangladesh ties and regional peace.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also congratulated Rahman on assuming office. In an article on
“I look forward to close and meaningful engagements with my brother, to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in mutually beneficial areas and deepen the historic ties between our two countries.”
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also attended the swearing-in ceremony and represented Pakistan at the historic event.
