Tarique Rahman sworn in as Bangladesh prime minister after BNP's landslide win in general elections

Tarique Rahman has taken the oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday, 17 February. The swearing-in has come a few days after his party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), registered a landslide victory in last week’s parliamentary elections, the country’s first since the massive 2024 anti-government uprising, which saw former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India.

The vote was billed as key to Bangladesh’s future political landscape after years of intense rivalry and disputed polls.

The term of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will last for the next five years. Until now, the interim government has been led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who resigned yesterday ahead of the swearing-in.

Tarique Rahman is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Ziaur Rahman. He is also Bangladesh’s first male prime minister in 35 years.

The country’s figurehead, President Mohammed Shahabuddin, administered the oath of office to Rahman. Dozens of Cabinet members and members of the new government were also being sworn in.

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

The Awami League, led by ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, was barred from contesting the 13th Parliamentary polls held on 12 February. Also Read | Who is Tarique Rahman, Bangladesh's next Prime Minister? Does BNP victory signal a reset in ties with India?

Breaking with tradition, the swearing‑in ceremony of Tarique Rahman was held under the open sky at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the national parliament building, instead of the Bangabhaban, the president’s official residence, where such events are usually organised.

BNP was founded by Tarique Rahman's father, Ziaur Rahman. After his assassination in 1981, the party was led by Khaleda Zia for nearly 40 years. He was arrested along with his mother and brother, only to be released on 16 December 1971, when Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan.

In 2018, Khaleda Zia was jailed by the Shekh Hasina government on graft charges. It was then that Tarique Rahman was nominated as the party's Acting Chairman.

Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh after 17 years of self-exile to a massive welcome. But a few days after his return, Rahman was struck by a personal tragedy as Khaleda died after a prolonged illness.

Rahman became the BNP chairman in his mother's absence, when the party was in a state of political wilderness ahead of the polls.