Interim government sworn in with the absence of Awami League

A host of political figures, including BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, attend the event

Leaders from several political parties were present at the swearing-in ceremony of the interim government, but representatives from the Awami League or the 14-Party alliance it leads were nowhere to be seen.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the members of the transitional administration in the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban shortly after 9:15pm on Thursday.

At the ceremony, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took the oath as the chief adviser.

He was seated at the centre of the front row, flanked by Abdul Kader Siddique, founding president of the Krishak Sramik Janata League, and other advisers to his left. To his right were the Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs.

Notable attendees included BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman, and Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader, among others.

The second row featured senior BNP members and representatives from other political parties.

Foreign ambassadors took their seats in the third row.

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan was absent from the ceremony, with his seat left vacant.

Bikalapadhara Bangladesh leader Mahi B Chowdhury was unable to enter the Bangabhaban due to chants of ‘fake, fake’ and protests from BNP leaders and activists.

This is the first time since the 1/11 political shift that opposition leaders from the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami have attended a Bangabhaban event.

The last notable boycott was during the 2007 caretaker government.