After being out of power for two decades, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has returned to power in the state and is beginning a new chapter in the country’s political journey.
Party Chairman Tariq Rehman was sworn in as Prime Minister and announced a 50-member cabinet, which includes senior leadership as well as a significant number of mid-ranking and youth from within the party.
The swearing-in ceremony took place on Tuesday at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhawan (National Parliament House), where President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and secrecy. With this ceremony, the much-awaited new administration formally began its tenure.
Analysis of the 50-member Cabinet reveals a deliberate mix of three generations of leadership. A large number of ministers and ministers of state have assumed executive positions soon after being elected as members of Parliament for the first time. The number of new faces is more than the experienced faces.
Many appointees have been handed significant responsibilities despite their relatively young age or limited political experience, while a handful of inclusions have not been widely seen as inspiring.
The most senior BNP leaders to be sworn in as cabinet members include general secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee members Amir Khasru Mahmood Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmood (Tuku), and Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed. His inclusion had been widely expected.