The BNP Parliamentary Party has chosen Tarique Rahman as its Leader, paving the way for him to assume the role of Leader of the House and be sworn in as the Prime Minister of the country later in the day. Following the oath-taking by 208 MPs at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the BNP, holding the majority of seats, established the Parliamentary Party and held its first meeting chaired by Tarique Rahman. The Parliamentary Party unanimously elected BNP Chairman Tarique as its Leader and the sole candidate for prime minister.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed Tarique’s selection by the party’s MPs to lead them in the Jatiya Sangsad, emphasizing Tarique’s new plans and vision for a “new Bangladesh.” Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath to the newly elected MPs as per the country’s Constitution, given the vacant positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 12th Parliament. Reports indicate that the BNP MPs refrained from taking the oath as members of the Constitution Reform Council.
BNP leader Salauddin Ahmed, on behalf of party chief Tarique Rahman, instructed all BNP’s newly elected MPs not to sign the Constitution Reform Council form, clarifying that they were not elected as council members. Salauddin highlighted that the Constitution Reform Council is not currently part of the Constitution and must undergo incorporation following the referendum’s outcome. He stressed the need for detailed procedures and specific guidelines on administering oaths to council members.
The 13th parliamentary election, held concurrently with the referendum on the July National Charter in 299 out of 300 constituencies on February 12, saw the BNP securing 209 parliamentary seats and Jamaat-e-Islami winning 68 seats. Tarique Rahman, BNP’s chairman, won from two constituencies, relinquishing the Bogura-6 seat for a by-election and taking the oath as a member of Parliament from the Dhaka-17 constituency. With Tarique poised to lead Bangladesh, experts caution about the challenges ahead, including unrest and the rise of Islamist extremism, reminiscent of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s tenure almost 35 years ago.
