Newly elected Members of Parliament and the new cabinet are set to be sworn in tomorrow

The newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) and the incoming cabinet are set to be sworn in tomorrow in ceremonies at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

The MPs will take their oath at 10am inside the Parliament Building, followed by the cabinet’s swearing-in at 4pm on the South Plaza.

In a departure from tradition, the cabinet ceremony will be held at Parliament instead of Bangabhaban for the first time. Outgoing Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul said the change was made at the request of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said foreign ministers from SAARC countries have been invited to attend.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said advisers of the interim government will travel to the venue in official vehicles bearing flags but will return without them.

Parliament Secretariat Secretary Kaniz Maula said Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will administer the oath to the MPs. After being sworn in, lawmakers will elect their parliamentary leaders at the same venue. The Constitution requires MPs to take oath within three days of the gazette notification.

The Election Commission on Saturday published the gazette for 297 of the 299 seats in the 13th parliamentary elections held on 12 February.

In the polls, the BNP secured a majority with 209 seats, while Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is set to become the main opposition with 68 seats. The remaining seats were won by other parties and independent candidates.

Following the swearing-in, the BNP’s Parliamentary Board will meet to elect its parliamentary leader, who will then seek appointment as prime minister from Mohammed Shahabuddin. The prime minister will subsequently form the cabinet.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the cabinet oath, and newly appointed Cabinet Secretary M Siraj Mia will conduct the ceremony.

Preparations are underway by the Cabinet Division and the Parliament Secretariat. The BNP is expected to assume office from the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus, with BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman likely to become prime minister.

Party policymakers are finalising the cabinet lineup, amid ongoing speculation over ministerial, state minister and deputy minister posts.

Names under consideration for ministerial roles include Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Selima Rahman, Salahuddin Ahmed, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, Abdul Awal Mintoo, Dr Reza Kibria and Shama Obaid Islam. Humayun Kabir is also being considered under the technocrat quota.

Possible picks for state and deputy minister positions include Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Ishrak Hossain and Shahadat Hossain Selim.

Among alliance partners being discussed are Zonayed Saki of Ganosamhati Andolon, Andaleeve Rahman Partho of Bangladesh Jatiya Party and Nurul Haque Nur of Bangladesh Gano Odhikar Parishad.