Swearing in of new MPs on February 17, ‘Constitutional Reforms Commission’ and new Bangladesh government

The new members of the Bangladesh Parliament will be sworn in at 10 am on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the Election Commission of Bangladesh announced that the “Constitution Reform Commission” will also be sworn in. The event will see the formation of the government in the afternoon as the cabinet headed by BNP Chairman Tariq Rehman will be sworn in. Around 1,200 local and foreign guests will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman and his cabinet on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the media wing of the BNP announced.

The announcement that two MPs will be sworn in along with members of the “Constitutional Reforms Commission” surprised many newly elected MPs. are talking The Hindua newly elected MP said Bangladesh EC MPs were not informed about the swearing-in of the Constitutional Reform Commission. Under one version, a referendum with a majority ‘yes’ vote on February 12, 2026 would see the entire Parliament act as a “Constitutional Reform Commission” for 180 days, and result in all MPs being sworn in as members of the Constitutional Reform Commission. Unease about the functions of the Constitutional Reform Commission and the process by which MPs’ parliamentary duties are carried out is evident, particularly among newly elected MPs from the BNP.

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobge, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal are among those confirmed to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the incoming government. Nepal’s Interim Government Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma and Sri Lanka’s Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa will also attend the event. Several other countries, including Qatar, Malaysia and Brunei, send high-level delegates to the swearing-in ceremony.

United Kingdom Indo-Pacific Under-Secretary Seema Malhotra will be representing the UK at the event and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzoo is also expected to attend. Apart from that, the heads of several diplomatic offices based in Dhaka will also attend the event in the premises of the Bangladesh Parliament – ​​Jatiyo Sansad.

It marks the end of the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who took over after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. Professor Yunus delivered a farewell speech at the Chief Adviser’s office on Monday evening (February 16, 2026). The Chief Advisor assumed charge on August 8, 2024 and chaired the last meeting of the Advisory Council on Monday (February 16, 2026).

“Elections are not just a process of handing over power. It is the beginning of a new Bangladesh,” Prof Yunus said in an evening speech on state-owned BTV, saying police in Bangladesh would no longer torture common people.

“We have to ensure that fascism never rises again in our country. That’s why the interim government has prioritized institutional reforms,” ​​said Professor Yunus. One of the main projects of the interim government is the July Charter draft, which was approved by a large number of political parties on October 17, 2017. The opposition National Citizen Party, which is part of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, did not sign the charter earlier, but the Chareb Party did on Monday evening, July 1. 2026). “The interim government’s biggest task is the July Charter. People overwhelmingly supported the July Charter in the referendum. I call on all political parties to accept the July Charter,” said Professor Yunus.