Sayeed Muhammad of DOT : Awami League President Sheikh Hasina is making a new start forming her third government on the trot by bringing a number of new faces to her cabinet.
After the landslide in the 11th national parliamentary polls held on December 30, the premier has formed a cabinet of 46 members, with 31 of them being new in the cabinet, reports BDnews.
Three members who had previously served her cabinet but not her second term have been brought back to the cabinet. Two state ministers have now been promoted as ministers.
Of the 19 appointed as junior ministers, all but three are new while three newly elected lawmakers also are given the role of deputy ministers.
Among the 34 members dropped from Hasina’s last administration are: AMA Muhith, Tofail Ahmed, Amir Hossain Amu, Matia Chowdhury, Mohammad Nasim, Shajahan Khan, AH Mahmood Ali, Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haq Inu.
The new cabinet inducted two technocrats.
This is the first time in Bangladesh’s history that the names of cabinet members have been announced prior to the swearing-in ceremony.
The Awami League and Jatiya Party lawmakers took oath on Thursday, while the latter’s chief swearing-in yesterday, with the 10th parliament still in place, repeating what it had done five years ago. The Jatiya Oikya Front-backed 7 elected candidates, however, refrained from doing so.
But the constitutional provisions do not allow the newly 299 MPs to take oath and assume office before the expiry of the existing parliament’s tenure.
According to article 123 (3) (b), the lawmakers, elected in the December 30 polls, are required to wait for the expiry of the term of the current parliament.
Article 72 (3) clearly says, “Unless sooner dissolved by the president, parliament shall stand dissolved on the expiration of the period of five years from the date of its first meeting.”