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Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Friday expanded his Cabinet with the appointment of four new ministers and two state ministers, with the new appointees taking oaths at a ceremony held at Bangabhaban.
The newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir administered the oath to the newly appointed ministers and state ministers at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. The four new ministers include Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee member and Narsingdi-2 MP Abdul Moyeen Khan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman and Bhola-1 MP Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Bandarban MP Sa Ching Prue Jerry and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Rashiduzzaman Millat. Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and Gaibandha-4 lawmaker Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln were appointed as state ministers. The Cabinet expansion comes around six months after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formed the government in February, adding new faces to the Council of Ministers. The appointments are part of the government's latest restructuring of the Cabinet, with the new ministers and state ministers assuming their respective responsibilities following the oath-taking ceremony. The newly appointed ministers and state ministers took oaths after senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader and party stalwart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was sworn in as the 23rd President of Bangladesh at a ceremony held at Bangabhaban in Dhaka. Alamgir took the oath in the presence of the Speaker of Parliament, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, cabinet members, foreign dignitaries and senior civil and military officials. The oath was administered by Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal. The presidential election was significant, as it marked the first time in 35 years that more than one candidate contested Bangladesh's presidential election. In previous presidential polls, opposition parties had generally not fielded candidates, leaving a single candidate in the race. Alamgir's election followed his nomination by the BNP as its presidential candidate last week. Following his nomination, he resigned as BNP Secretary General and stepped down from the party's National Standing Committee. The election was necessitated by the resignation of former President Mohammad Shahabuddin, who stepped down from office last month citing serious health complications. Shahabuddin, 76, had served as President since April 2023 after being elected unopposed as the nominee of the then-ruling Awami League. (ANI)
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