Excitement grips Dhaka ahead of a high-stakes political ritual on February 17. At 4 PM, BNP’s Tarique Rahman and his cabinet will swear allegiance at the Parliament’s South Plaza, hosting 1,200 overseas VIPs in a show of global solidarity.
The catalyst: BNP’s sweep in recent elections, bagging 209 seats, with Jamaat-e-Islami at 68 and partners filling gaps. Court stays on two seats notwithstanding, the verdict is clear—voters rejected the interim status quo.
Confirmed heavyweights include India’s Om Birla, Bhutan’s Tshering Tobgay, Pakistan’s Ahsan Iqbal, and others from Nepal, Sri Lanka, UK, and maybe Maldives. MEA’s nod to Birla emphasized bilateral ties: ‘A nod to our intertwined history, culture, and democratic ethos. India backs Rahman’s mandate.’
Secretariat teams orchestrate the outdoor extravaganza, a departure from norm. Polls covered 299 seats on February 12, reshaping Bangladesh’s landscape.
A Rahman premiership revives a 35-year male leadership tradition. Pessimists, though, eye brewing chaos and extremism from Yunus-era woes. With neighbors watching intently, this oath-taking crystallizes alliances and ambitions in South Asia’s volatile heart.