(Dhaka Tribune), Aug 8: Bangabhaban is ready to hold the oath-taking ceremony of the new interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, on Thursday evening. 

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to the new government.

After 17 years, Bangladesh is once again set to witness the swearing-in of an interim government following the abrupt end of the Awami League regime. The country’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Monday amid a mass uprising.

In response to this situation, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman took the lead, consulting with leaders of political parties, civil society, and students. Together, they decided to form an interim government.

Responding to demands from political parties, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday and decided to establish an interim government headed by the globally acclaimed Nobel Peace laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.

The decision emerged from a lengthy meeting held at Bangabhaban, where the chiefs of the three armed forces, two professors from Dhaka University, and coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement were present.

During the meeting, student representatives proposed that Dr Yunus head the interim government, and President Shahabuddin agreed with their proposal.

In 2007, the last caretaker government headed by Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed took office following the chaos preceding January 11, 2007, popularly known as 1/11.

Most political parties in Bangladesh have welcomed the new interim government led by Dr Yunus, except for the outgoing ruling party, the Awami League. As of now, no spokesperson from the Awami League has commented since the end of its era on Monday.

This interim government will lead the country for a certain period and oversee the election to transition power to an elected government.

Details of the oath-taking ceremony

Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman has announced that the oath-taking ceremony of the interim government will be held at 8 pm today.

He made these remarks during a press briefing at the Army Headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.

In response to a question, the army chief said: “We are making every effort to hold the oath-taking ceremony tomorrow (Thursday). There was a proposal to hold it in the afternoon. However, that would result in a very tight schedule because Dr Yunus is expected to arrive in the country around 2:10 pm. It would be difficult to arrange the ceremony after that. Therefore, we may hold it around 8 pm. The arrangement will accommodate a total of 400 people.”

When asked about the size of the interim government, he said: “I believe it might initially consist of around 15 members. However, one or two more individuals may be added.”

The chief adviser of the interim government is equivalent to the prime minister, and the other advisors are equivalent to ministers.

Sources indicated that the advisors of the interim government will be chosen from civil society and various professional fields.

There is much speculation about who will be included in this interim government, but an official list is yet to be finalized.

Bangabhaban sources told Dhaka Tribune last night that they have made all necessary preparations for the oath-taking ceremony at the Darbar Hall.