bangladesh-cabinet-swearing-in-on-feb-17-pm-modi-invited

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to the new cabinet of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on February 17 at the South Plaza of the National Parliament complex. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has also received an invitation for the swearing-in ceremony of his newly elected Bangladesh counterpart, Tarique Rahman.

 

"We have been informed that the President will administer the oath of office (to the new cabinet) on Tuesday at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) complex," a Bangabhaban (presidential palace) official said on the condition of anonymity on Saturday.

 

According to the local media reports, the ceremony would be followed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin administering the oath of office to the newly elected parliament members instead of Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, as stated in the Constitution. According to the Third Schedule of the Constitution, the CEC is the third choice for the job in the absence of the outgoing parliament's speaker and deputy speaker.

 

 

Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid said that in line with the Constitution, the President would administer the oath to the new cabinet at Bangabhaban. He, however, did not give a date for the ceremony.

 

"If we are instructed or indicated that it will be held on a certain date and at a certain time, we will work accordingly. Even if it is tomorrow, we will have to prepare for tomorrow," the top bureaucrat said.

 

The Constitution requires the cabinet oath-taking ceremony to be followed by the swearing in of new parliament members.

 

Earlier on Saturday, one of Rahman's key aides, who did not wish to be named, said the existing scenario made things a little complicated.

 

"The speaker of the last parliament is supposed to administer the oath of office to the MPs, but she resigned and is living in an undisclosed location while the deputy speaker is in jail," he said.

 

In these circumstances, he said, the President might select someone to administer the oath and "the Constitution kept a provision for that".