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New beginning: Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin swears in Tarique Rahman. Photo: Reuters
DACA:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office on Tuesday to lead the first elected government since the deadly 2024 uprising, facing a daunting list of challenges.
Top of the list for Rahman, 60, will be to improve security, heal divisions in a country polarized by years of bitter rivalry and address the economic problems of the world’s second-largest garment exporter.
Rahman replaces the interim government that has ruled the country of 170 million people for 18 months since Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic government was overthrown.
“I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of prime minister of the government, in accordance with the law,” he said, after taking the oath before President Mohammed Shahabuddin, in a ceremony held in front of the parliament building and broadcast on state television.
Rahman, BNP chief and scion of one of the country’s most powerful political dynasties, won a landslide victory in the February 12 elections.
“This victory belongs to Bangladesh, it belongs to democracy,” Rahman said in his victory speech on Saturday.
“This victory belongs to people who aspire to democracy and 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 garment exporter.
He has 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 the authoritarian regime, weakened constitutional and statutory institutions and a deteriorating law and order situation,” he added in his victory speech.
After Rahman took oath, his ministers lined up to take the oath.
The lawmakers, who pledged allegiance to Bangladesh, were sworn in before Parliament by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin before BNP members elected Rahman as their leader.
Rahman’s victory marks a remarkable turnaround for a man who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of 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 seats in parliament – a four-fold increase from its previous best – has challenged the results in 32 constituencies.
But Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman, 67, has also said the Islamist party would “serve as a vigilant, peaceful and principled opposition.”
Hasina’s Awami League party was banned from participating in the elections.
Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, issued a statement from her hideout in India denouncing an “illegal” election.
But India hailed the BNP’s “decisive victory,” a notable turnaround 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 percentage of votes.
Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus, a population that makes up about seven percent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Despite weeks of turbulence before the election, voting day passed without major unrest and the country has so far responded to the results relatively calmly.
“If the BNP can do a good job with the economy, everything else will be easier for the government,” said Crisis Group analyst Thomas Kean.
“It will help create a level of stability to 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 post on X, the president appreciated the role of the interim government in conducting peaceful and fair elections. He also conveyed his best wishes for the stability and prosperity of Bangladesh and expressed hope for strengthening Pakistan-Bangladesh ties and regional peace.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also congratulated Rahman for assuming office. In a post on
“I look forward to close and meaningful engagements with my brother, to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual benefit and deepen the historic ties between our two countries.”
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal also attended the oath-taking ceremony and represented Pakistan at the historic event.
