CEC to Administer Oath, President to Swear in Cabinet

The formal activities of the 13th National Parliament are set to begin on Tuesday (February 17), ushering in a new political chapter in Bangladesh. As per the rules, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin will administer the oath to the newly elected members of parliament at the oath-taking room of the National Parliament Secretariat at 10 am.

For the first time in the parliamentary history of Bangladesh, the Chief Election Commissioner will administer the oath to the newly elected lawmakers in the absence of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. After the oath-taking of the members of parliament is over, President Md. Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the new cabinet members at a royal ceremony organized at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building in the afternoon.

Akhtar Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, said that the results of 297 out of 299 seats in the February 12 elections have been declared, where the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won 209 seats and achieved an absolute majority. The BNP alone got 49.97 percent of the votes.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami emerged as the second largest party with 68 seats, which got 31.76 percent of the votes. In addition, the newly formed Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) won six seats and independent candidates won seven seats. The results of Chittagong-2 and 4 seats have been postponed for the time being due to the court's directive.

According to sources in the Parliament Secretariat and Bangabhaban, breaking the long-standing tradition, the main oath-taking ceremony in the afternoon has been organized at the South Plaza of the Parliament Building instead of Bangabhaban. During the morning oath-taking, the members of parliament will also take the oath as members of the 'Constitutional Reform Council'.

Then, at noon, the parliamentary leader will be formally elected at the BNP parliamentary board meeting. The elected parliamentary leader will meet the President and formally apply to form the government, and the President will appoint him as the Prime Minister. At 4 pm, the President will first administer the oath to the Prime Minister and later to his nominated ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers.

Extensive preparations have been made to celebrate this historic moment nationwide. The oath-taking ceremony will be broadcast live on big screens in 64 districts of the country, including Manik Mia Avenue in the capital. In the interests of public gathering and security, traffic movement on Manik Mia Avenue has been restricted from 12 noon today, and the Parliament area has been declared a no-fly zone and drone flying has been banned.

Numerous domestic and foreign guests will be present at this event, under the leadership of the Cabinet Secretary. Through this, the country is going to get a new Prime Minister and a new style of government after three decades.