VIDEO: Sheikh Hasina sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for fourth consecutive term

Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has ruled the strategically located South Asian country since 2009.

Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the fourth consecutive term. (AFP photo)

Elections in Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as prime minister of Bangladesh for a fourth consecutive term on Thursday, days after her Awami League won an overwhelming majority in the general election, which was marred by opposition violence and sporadic violence.

Hasina, 76, was deposited by Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin at the Bangabhaban Presidential Palace in Dhaka, the country’s capital. The ceremony was attended by politicians, foreign diplomats, civil society figures and senior civilian and military officials.

Sheikh Hasina is sworn in as the country’s prime minister #Bangladesh for the fourth consecutive term – fifth overall.

Sheikh Hasina becomes the twelfth Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Read more: https://t.co/wmfMBJZMnC @DhakaPrasar pic.twitter.com/3VTxcmsG09

— DD News (@DDNewslive) January 11, 2024

Sheikh Hasina will serve as the twelfth Prime Minister; her fourth consecutive term and fifth term overall. After the Prime Minister, the new Cabinet members were sworn in by the President. Hasina, who has formed her government for the fourth consecutive term, has appointed 25 ministers and 11 state ministers to her cabinet.

Hasina’s Awami League party won 223 seats in the 300-member parliament in the recently concluded general elections in Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has ruled the strategically located South Asian country since 2009. She is one of the longest-serving female heads of government in the world.

Boycott of the opposition

The general election was boycotted by the country’s main opposition party, ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), calling the election a “sham”. The BNP boycotted the polls after their demand for a non-partisan interim government to conduct the January 7 polls was rejected.

BNP a ‘terrorist organization’

The BNP, whose ranks have been decimated by mass arrests, declared a general strike and, along with dozens of others, refused to participate in “sham elections”. The Prime Minister had called the BNP a “terrorist organisation” determined to destroy democracy in the country.

“The BNP is a terrorist organisation,” she had told reporters after casting her vote. “I am doing my best to ensure that democracy survives in this country.”

Hasina had called on citizens to show confidence in the democratic process – but election officials said initial reports suggested a meager turnout of around 40 percent.

Hasina’s Cabinet Revealed

Shortly after the swearing-in, the Cabinet Department released a statement detailing the portfolios of the Council of Ministers.

Information Minister in the previous cabinet Hassan Mahmud was put in charge of the Foreign Ministry, while career diplomat and former Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali was transferred to the Finance Ministry.

AKM Mojammel Haque was appointed as the Minister of Liberation War Affairs while Obaidul Quader was given the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. Asaduzzaman Khan was put in charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs, while Dr. Dipu Moni was transferred to the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun was appointed Minister of Industry and Anisul Huq became Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

New faces in the government of Bangladesh

Notably, Hasina has dropped a number of heavyweights from her new cabinet, such as Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Finance Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal, Planning Minister Abdul Mannan, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak and Trade Minister Tipu Munshi.

The new list of ministers named fourteen new faces as full ministers and seven ministers of state, although some of them were elevated to cabinet ministers.

Samanta Lal Sen, a doctor specializing in burns, emerged as a technocrat as a new face in the list of full-fledged ministers, to the surprise of many as he was never known for his political activism. Sen was put in charge of the Ministry of Health.

Simin Hossain Rimi, the daughter of Bangladesh’s first Prime Minister Tazuddin Ahmed, was appointed Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs.

According to another statement from the Cabinet Division, the Prime Minister has terminated the appointment of two advisors under the Rules of Business: Security Affairs Advisor Major General (Retd.) Tareq Siddiqui and Private Sector Affairs Advisor Salman Rahman. The Prime Minister also terminated Mohammad Ziauddin’s contract as ambassador.

Elections in Bangladesh

Bangladesh went to the polls on Sunday, where the ruling Awami League led by Prime Minister Hasina won 223 seats; the Jatiya Party 11 seats; the Workers’ Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and Bangladesh Kalyan Party one seat each; and independent candidates won 61 seats.

India, China and Russia congratulated Hasina on her victory. All Far Eastern and Middle Eastern countries, including Japan and Saudi Arabia, also welcomed the re-election of the ruling Awami League.

However, Western countries, including the United States and Britain, which pushed for Bangladesh’s elections to be inclusive, and the United Nations expressed reservations about the elections.

(With PTI inputs)