Tarique Rahman to take oath as Bangladesh PM on Feb 17; PM Modi, other regional leaders invited

Tarique Rahman to take oath as Bangladesh PM on Feb 17; PM Modi, other regional leaders invited

• Tarique Rahman to be sworn in as Bangladesh PM on February 17
• BNP wins 209 of 297 seats, securing a two-thirds majority
• South Asian leaders invited to the swearing-in ceremony

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Tarique Rahman will take oath as prime minister on February 17 after his Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a sweeping mandate in the country’s 13th parliamentary elections.

The cabinet will be sworn in the same day, followed by the oath of newly elected members of parliament administered by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin. While the ceremony is usually held at Bangabhaban’s Durbar Hall, it will instead take place at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan due to the large number of invited guests.

Regional outreach

Dhaka has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other South Asian leaders to attend the ceremony. Invitations have been sent to 13 countries including India, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.

“As the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), will take the oath on Monday alongside his cabinet. South Asian leaders have been invited to the ceremony, and several invitations have already been sent. However, due to weekend holidays in those countries, it may take some time, and the attendance of the leaders, especially the Prime Ministers, will depend on their availability at that time,” ANI reported.

Officials indicated that even if prime ministers are unable to attend, each country is expected to send a representative, likely at the foreign minister level.

Election outcome and transition

The BNP won 209 of 297 declared seats, securing more than a two-thirds majority, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats. Polling was held in 299 constituencies with a voter turnout of 59.44%.

The election followed months of political uncertainty after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, after which Muhammad Yunus headed an interim administration.

In his first post-victory address, Rahman outlined a “Bangladesh First” foreign policy approach and called for regional engagement.

“We have cleared ourselves regarding the foreign policy which is in the interest of Bangladesh, and the interest of the Bangladeshi people comes first. By protecting the interest of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi people, we will decide our foreign policy,” he said.

Rahman, who is returning to power after 17 years in exile, is expected to begin with a small cabinet that may be expanded later.