Dhaka – Newly-elected lawmakers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have unanimously elected party chief Tarique Rahman as the Leader of the House, positioning hi to be the next Prime Minister of the country.
The BNP Parliamentary group, at a meeting presided over by Tarique Rahman, unanimously choose the party chief as the Leader of the House and the next prime minister.
The meeting was held shortly after the newly elected MPs took their oath of office following the party’s stunning victory in Thursday’s general election, where it secured an absolute majority in the 13th National Parliament.
The BNP shared the news on its verified Facebook page. Earlier in the day, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath of office to the newly elected lawmakers.
Rahman, 60, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is scheduled to be sworn in as prime minister later this afternoon, alongside his new cabinet.
The ceremony will take place at the South Plaza of the parliament building, with leaders from various South Asian nations invited to attend.
He will take over the leadership of the country from the interim government that was installed following the political transition in 2024.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday following his party’s electoral victory, Rahman pledged to transform the nation by restoring order, fighting corruption, and ensuring governmental accountability.
Thursday’s election, which was largely peaceful, marked the country’s first national vote since a student-led uprising ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, ending her 15-year rule.
Hasina’s party, the Awami League, was excluded from the electoral race after its activities were banned by the interim administration in May.
The vote was overseen by the interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who has since begun the process of handing power to the newly elected government.
In the final election results, the BNP won 209 out of the 300 directly elected parliamentary seats. In addition to these, Bangladesh’s parliament includes 50 reserved seats for women, which are allocated to parties in proportion to their share of the directly elected seats. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamic party, emerged as the second-largest group in parliament, securing victories in 68 seats.
