Sheikh Hasina sworn in as prime minister of Bangladesh for fifth term

DHAKA: Sheikh Hasina was on Thursday sworn in as the prime minister of Bangladesh for the fifth term, days after her Awami League won an overwhelming majority in the general elections boycotted by the main opposition BNP and its allies.

President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to 76-year-old Hasina at a ceremony joined by politicians, foreign diplomats, civil society figures and senior civil and military officials at Bangabhaban presidential palace here.

She will serve as the 12th prime minister; her fourth consecutive term and fifth overall term.

Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been ruling the strategically located South Asian nation since 2009. She is among the world's longest-serving female heads of government.

Following the prime minister, the new members of cabinet were sworn in by the president.

Hasina's party won 223 seats in the 300-member Parliament.

Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia boycotted the elections after their demand for a non-party caretaker government to conduct the January 7 polls was rejected.

Hasina formed her government for the straight fourth term. She has inducted 25 ministers and 11 state ministers in her Cabinet.

Shortly after the swearing in ceremony, the Cabinet Division issued a statement containing the portfolios of the council of ministers.

Information minister in the previous cabinet Hassan Mahmud has been tasked with the charge of foreign ministry while a career diplomat and former foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali was shifted to the finance ministry.

AKM Mojammel Haque was appointed as the Minister of Liberation War Affairs while Obaidul Quader got the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. Asaduzzaman Khan was given charge of the Home Ministry while Dr Dipu Moni was shifted to the Ministry of Social Welfare. Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun was named Industries Minister and Anisul Huq became Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

Hasina has dropped some heavyweights like foreign minister AK Abdul Momen, finance minister AHM Mostafa Kamal, planning minister Abdul Mannan, agriculture minister Abdur Razzak and commerce minister Tipu Munshi from her new Cabinet.

The new council of ministers list named 14 new faces as full ministers and seven state ministers though some of them were elevated as cabinet ministers.

Samanta Lal Sen, a doctor specialized on burn wounds, emerged as a new face in the list of full ministers as a technocrat to the surprise of many as he was never known for political activism. Sen was given the charge of the health ministry.

Simin Hossain Rimi, the daughter of the first prime minister of Bangladesh Tazuddin Ahmed, was named Minister of Women and Children Affairs.

According to another Cabinet Division statement, under the Rules of Business the Prime Minister has terminated the appointment of two advisers, security affairs adviser Maj Gen (retd.) Tareq Siddiqui and private sector affairs adviser Salman Rahman. The premier also terminated the contract of ambassador at large Mohammad Ziauddin.

Bangladesh went to polls on Sunday, in which the ruling Awami League headed 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 after her victory. All Far Eastern and Middle Eastern countries including Japan and Saudi Arabia also welcomed the ruling Awami League’s reelection.

However, the Western nations, including the United States and the UK, which were insisting the Bangladesh election to be inclusive, and the United Nations expressed their reservations about the election.