BNP has formed new government with an absolute majority following its victory in the 13th parliamentary election.
The new cabinet, which was sworn in this afternoon, will consist of 49 members, including 25 full ministers and 24 ministers of state. Within this new administration, three have been selected to serve under the technocrat quota.
What defines a technocrat minister?
A technocrat refers to a person who is not a career politician but is appointed to a role in state governance or policy-making based on their technical, professional, or academic expertise.
According to Article 56 (2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, the prime minister may appoint up to one-tenth of the cabinet from individuals who are not elected Members of Parliament (MPs).
These appointees must still possess the necessary qualifications to be elected as MPs. By regulation, such ministers are required to resign 90 days before a national election or upon the dissolution of parliament.
Who has been nominated to these ministerial positions?
The final list for cabinet designates two individuals as full ministers and one as a minister of state under the technocrat quota.
The BNP has selected Aminur Rashid Yasin and Khalilur Rahman to serve as full ministers, while former national football captain Aminul Haque has been appointed as a minister of state.
What professional expertise do the full ministers bring?
Aminur Rashid Yasin is a member of the BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council and the General Secretary of Cumilla District BNP.
Although he was an MP for Cumilla-9 in 1996, he recently withdrew his candidacy for Cumilla-6 seat on 19 January to support the party’s nominated candidate.
Joining him is Khalilur Rahman, who recently served as the National Security Advisor and High Representative for Rohingya issues in the interim government.
He is a highly distinguished scholar who placed first in his Master’s in Economics at Dhaka University before earning a PhD from Harvard University.
His career includes serving in the Bangladesh Civil Service (Foreign Affairs) and holding high-level roles at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, including as a special advisor at UNCTAD.
The inclusion of Aminul Haque as a minister of state marks a historical first, as he is the first former athlete to be appointed to the cabinet under the technocrat quota after an electoral defeat. He captained the national football team, contested Dhaka-16 seat but lost to a candidate from Jamaat-e-Islami.
He becomes the third former national footballer to achieve ministerial rank in post-independence Bangladesh, following in the footsteps of Major Hafiz and Arif Khan Joy.
