Bangladeshs New Prime Minister Names Student Leaders to Cabinet Position

Bangladesh’s Newly Sworn-in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman Forms Cabinet with Prominent Figures from 2024 Uprising

Tarique Rahman has been sworn in as Bangladesh’s 11th prime minister, leading a 49-member cabinet. The BNP won the first elections since the 2024 student-led uprising, which ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Among the cabinet members are Nurul Haque Nur and Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, who rose to prominence during the uprising.

Nur, a 34-year-old from Patuakhali district in southern Bangladesh, was elected as a member of parliament on Thursday. He gained national prominence as a student leader during the 2018 anti-job-quota movement, leading demonstrations against Hasina’s government. Nur backed the student-led uprising and co-founded Gono Odhikar Parishad, a rights-focused political party.

Saki, a 52-year-old from Dhaka, has been involved in politics since his student activist days during General Hussain Ershad’s rule. He won the presidency of the Bangladesh Student Federation in 1998 and is a leading left-leaning voice in Bangladeshi politics. Saki ran for mayor of the Dhaka North City Corporation in 2015 but lost.

Both Nur and Saki are first-time parliamentarians who were appointed to the cabinet by Rahman. The BNP’s commitment to its alliance partners is reflected in their appointments, according to Asif Shahan, a professor at Dhaka University. Rahman was sworn in on Tuesday after 17 years in self-imposed exile in London.

The new cabinet lacks experience governing, with all junior ministers being first-timers. Nur and Saki are among the few exceptions, having gained national prominence during the 2024 uprising. Their appointments have been seen as a strategic move by the BNP to reward its alliance partners.

Source: Al Jazeera