The oath‑taking of the new cabinet will take place within three days, or at most four, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid has said.
He confirmed that the Cabinet Division is prepared for the ceremony.
“We expect the oath to be held by the 18th,” he said, adding that around 1,000 guests are expected to attend the ceremony.
According to the constitution, the president will administer the oath to the cabinet members.
The Cabinet Secretary disclosed the information while responding to journalists’ questions at the Secretariat on Saturday.
He said, “The 13th parliamentary election and the referendum were held relatively peacefully, without major disruptions. For this, the government is very pleased.”
“According to the law, members of parliament must take oath within three days. Starting tomorrow, MPs will be sworn in by the 17th. After that, the participating parties will elect their parliamentary leaders. The person chosen as leader of the majority MPs will inform the president of having their confidence.”
“The president will then, as per rules, appoint him as prime minister. Afterwards, at a convenient time, the oath‑taking ceremony of the prime minister and cabinet members will be held.”
The cabinet secretary said the responsibility of administering MPs’ oath lies with the Parliament Secretariat, and there are several options for this.
He explained, “The Speaker, Deputy Speaker, or someone nominated by them can administer the oath. If neither nominates anyone, the government may arrange for a nominee. In that case, the Chief Justice or the Chief Election Commissioner may administer the oath. However, the Cabinet Division cannot say who will administer it.”
