Bangladesh’s polls-time interim cabinet sworn in

DHAKA, Nov. 18 (nsnewswire) — Six new ministers and two state ministers of the country’s “disputed” polls-time cabinet were sworn in the President House  Monday evening.

The were sworn in following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s cabinet reshuffle to pave the way for formation of the polls-time cabinet.

President Abdul Hamid administered the oath to the new ministers and state ministers of Hasina’s polls-time cabinet in two batches.
The portfolio of the new cabinet members are not available yet.
All the new ministers and the state ministers are lawmakers from Hasina’s Awami League (AL) party-led ruling grand alliance including ex-Bangladeshi President Hussein Muhammad Ershad’s Jatiya Party.

Ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its 17 alliance had earlier rejected Hasina’s all-party polls-time government proposal.

Khaleda has asked Hasina’s Bangladesh AL party to bring back a caretaker system, or else it won’t participate in the next polls because it fears an election without the caretaker government will not be free and fair.
Bangladesh’s government ministers on Nov. 11 submitted their resignation letters to Prime Minister Hasina ahead of the cabinet reshuffle as part of the formation of an all-party interim government to conduct the parliament polls slated for early 2014.

In the cabinet meeting on Nov. 5, all ministers reportedly decided that they will resign in the next seven days to pave the way for the formation of the all-party polls-time government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

During the meeting with Hamid on Sunday night, Hasina was expected to submit the resignation letters of the ministers and state ministers, who would not get positions in the new cabinet, to the president.
The parliament is due to expire on Jan. 24 next year and elections reportedly should be held within 90 days before its expiry. Enditem