Tarique Rahman takes oath as Bangladesh prime minister after BNP’s landslide victory

Bangladesh’s political landscape entered a new chapter on Tuesday as Tarique Rahman was sworn in as the country’s prime minister following a decisive victory by his Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the general election last week.

Rahman’s rise to power comes after his party secured a landslide win in the 12 February polls - the first nationwide election since a mass uprising in 2024 led to the ouster of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina and ushered in the Md Yunus-led interim government.

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The party’s commanding performance in the 300-seat parliament, winning more than 151 seats on its own and 212 seats along with allies.

Earlier in the day, Rahman and newly elected lawmakers were sworn into parliament, becoming the first elected representatives since the upheaval that reshaped the country’s politics.

The oath ceremony was administered by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, with members pledging allegiance to Bangladesh and its constitution.

Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in exile to lead the BNP campaign.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at the ceremony, with New Delhi describing his presence as a reflection of the “deep and enduring friendship” between the two nations.

Even as Rahman assumed office, political tensions remained high.

In her first public statement since the results of Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliamentary Election were declared, Sheikh Hasina sharply rejected the outcome, calling the February 12 vote a “disgraceful chapter in Bangladesh’s democratic history.”

Hasina alleged that the election lacked genuine competition and did not reflect the will of the people. Instead, she claimed it was driven by “administrative manipulation and numerical fraud.”

She further described the exercise as a “pre-planned election of deception,” accusing the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus of overseeing what she termed a one-sided and voterless process.