Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman, eldest son of the late president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, took oath as prime minister for the first time on Tuesday, forming a government with a cabinet that included 25 ministers and 23 state ministers.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy to Tarique Rahman and his ministers at the south Plaza in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at 4:00 pm.

The development marks the BNP’s return to power 20 years after the end of the Khaleda Zia-led four-party alliance government on October 29, 2006.

On April 16, 1979, his BNP founder Ziaur Rahman assumed the presidency, returning Bangladesh from a one-party rule to multi-party politics.

In 1991, Tarique’s mother, Khaleda Zia, became the country’s first female prime minister, serving three terms.

The 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections, held on February 12 alongside a national referendum, saw the BNP secure an absolute majority, winning 209 of the 297 seats for which results were declared out of the 299 constituencies that went to the polls.

Former BNP ally Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats and would serve as the main opposition in the Jatiya Sangsad.

The past three elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024 were marred by controversy, boycotts, and allegations of irregularities, culminating in the removal of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on 5 August 2024 following a student-led uprising.