Breaking away from tradition, the cabinet swearing-in ceremony will not be held at Bangabhaban’s Darbar Hall as usual. In a historic move, the incoming government will kick off its tenure outdoors, with cabinet members taking their oaths at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday afternoon. The newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) will also be sworn in at the same location in the morning.
Sources from the Chief Adviser’s Office, Cabinet Division, and Parliament Secretariat have confirmed this unusual arrangement to The Daily Star.
Plans are underway to conduct the MPs’ swearing-in at 10:00 am and the cabinet members’ swearing-in at 4:00 pm on Tuesday.
Typically, MPs take their oaths in the parliament’s oath room while the cabinet members do so at Bangabhaban’s Darbar Hall. However, the incoming government has opted to hold both ceremonies at the parliament’s south plaza this time.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the Prime Minister and the cabinet members. The oath for the MPs will be administered by either Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin or Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury.
Last night, the Election Commission released a gazette notification officially declaring the winners in 297 out of the 299 constituencies where voting took place.
Following Thursday’s election, the BNP-led alliance secured 212 seats, giving them a substantial two-thirds majority to form the government. The 11-party alliance, spearheaded by Jamaat-e-Islami and holding 77 seats, will constitute the opposition.
Notably, since the inception of the country, every government has taken their oath at Bangabhaban. An official involved in the preparations, speaking under anonymity, mentioned that the MPs’ oath ceremony involves minimal formality compared to the elaborate arrangements required for the cabinet swearing-in.
Given the sudden change in plans, officials are diligently reorganizing every aspect of the ceremony. Another source familiar with the process emphasized the challenge of organizing such a significant event in a short timeframe but expressed dedication to ensuring a high-quality ceremony.
In response to the development, writer, researcher, and former Secretary Abdul Awal Mazumder highlighted that the July charter was signed at the parliament’s South Plaza.
“The incoming government likely aims to take their oath in front of the public,” Mazumder shared with The Daily Star.
While acknowledging that no previous government has been sworn in outside Bangabhaban, Mazumder suggested that there is room to establish a new tradition.
Furthermore, he pointed out, “The US president addresses the nation immediately after taking the oath outdoors. It will be interesting to see if Bangladesh’s next Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, follows a similar path.”
