Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as PM for the fifth-time

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has taken oath as the Prime Minister of People‍‍`s Republic of Bangladesh for the fourth-time in a row and fifth in her career after she led her party to a massive victory in 12th national parliamentary election held on January 7.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin conducted the oath of office and secrecy to the 76-year-old prime minister at a ceremony watched by foreign diplomats, high civil and military officials and elite of the city.

The ceremony was held in President Shahabuddin‍‍`s official residence Bangabhaban near Gulistan neighborhood of the capital city Dhaka. 

After the premier, the rest 36 ministers including 25 full minister and 11 state minister has taken oath from the President of Bangladesh. 

The ministers, who took oath, are: AKM Mozammel Haque (Gazipur-1), Obaidul Quader (Noakhali-5), Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun (Narsingdi-4), Asaduzzaman Khan (Dhaka-12), Dr Dipu Moni (Chandpur-3), Md Tajul Islam (Cumilla-9), Muhammad Faruk Khan (Gopalganj-1), Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali (Dinajpur-4), Anisul Huq (Brahmanbaria-4), Dr Hasan Mahmud (Chattogram-7), Md Abdus Shahid (Moulvibazar-4), Sadhan Chandra Majumder (Naogaon-1), RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury (Brahmanbaria-3), Md Abdur Rahman (Faridpur-1), Narayan Chandra Chanda (Khulna-5), Abdus Salam (Mymensingh-9), Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury (Chattogram-9), Farhad Hossain (Meherpur-1), Md Faridul Haque Khan (Jamalpur-2), Md Zillul Hakim (Rajbari-2), Saber Hossain Chowdhury (Dhaka-9), Jahangir Kabir Nanak (Dhaka-13), Nazmul Hasan (Kishoreganj-6), Architect Yeafesh Osman (technocrat) and Samanta Lal Sen (technocrat).

The state ministers are: Simeen Hussain Rimi (Gazipur-4), Nasrul Hamid (Dhaka-3), Zunaid Ahmed Palak (Natore-3), Mohammad Ali Arafat (Dhaka-17), Md Mahibbur Rahman (Patuakhali-4), Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury (Dinajpur-2), Zaheed Farooque, (Barishal-5), Kujendra Lal Tripura (Khagrachhari), Rumana Ali (Gazipur-3), Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury (Sylhet-2) and Ahsanul Islam Titu (Tangail-6).

The oath-taking ceremony took place a day after the Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) unanimously elected Hasina as the Leader of the House paving the way for her to become the prime minister.

Sheikh Hasina, the elder daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won from the Gopalganj-3 parliamentary with a huge margin. She never lost from this seat in her home district since her first contest in 1986.

Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana survived the August 15, 1975 mayhem that saw the assassination of Bangabandhu along with most members of his family. They were then on vacation in Germany. From Germany the two sisters, the only survivors of Bangabandhu’s family, went to India for about six years of exiled life.

Still in exile in India Hasina was elected the president of Awami League at the age of 34. She returned home from India on May 17, 1981 and immediately launched a campaign against the rule of military ruler Ziaur Rahman for restoration of democracy.

Later she led a pro-democracy movement against the autocratic rule of HM Ershad leading to her downfall in 1990. However, in the general election held in 1991 the Awami League lost to its arch rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Khaleda Zia.

The Awami League, led by Hasina, won the June 1996 parliamentary elections returning to power for the first time since the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975.

In 2001 Hasina became the first leader to step down peacefully after serving full five-year term in office and handed over power to a caretaker administration as per the constitution. Her party though was defeated in the 2001 election conducted by a caretaker government.

She again led her party to an absolute win in the 2008 election overseen by a military-backed interim government. She took office for the second time in 2009. She also won the next three elections in 2014, 2018 and the latest on January 7, 2023.

In 2014, Hasina’s party won 153 of the 300 parliamentary seats without a contest thanks to a BNP-led opposition boycott. Though BNP joined the 2018 polls, it was tainted by allegations of massive irregularities, denied by the Awami League. The BNP also stayed away from the January 7 polls after the government rejected its demand to hold the vote under a neutral caretaker administration.

The January 7 election the Awami League secured 222 seats. The independent candidates, largely from AL bagged 62 and the Jatiya Party, led by GM Quader, got only 11 seats, and others secured 3.

Guests present at the jam-packed glittering Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban included Jatiya Sangsad Speaker, Chief Justice, Chief Election Commissioner, Judges of the Supreme Court, MPs, political leaders, chiefs of the three services, members of diplomatic corps, journalists, and high civil and military officials.

President‍‍`s spouse Dr Rebecca Sultana, PM‍‍`s youngest sister Sheikh Rehana and other family members were present at the function.

Attired in a white Jamdani saree, Sheikh Hasina was looking confident and lively at the Durbar Hall. The spacious hall was overflowing with the invited guests, while many of them were seen standing along the walls.

Sheikh Hasina was given a standing ovation when she entered the Durbar Hall at 6.55pm. Minutes later President Shahabuddin entered the Durbar Hall where the Prime Minister took oath at 7.06pm.

The ceremony began with the recitation from the holy Quran.

Sheikh Hasina took oath first pledging to preserve, protect and defend the national constitution and the state sovereignty.

Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the oath-taking function, while around 1,400 guests were invited to witness the historic ceremony.