BNP, Jamaat Face Off At Bangladesh Oath-Taking Over Reform Council Pledge

Last Updated:February 17, 2026, 13:13 IST

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasirudin administered the first phase of oath to BNP MPs at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

Bangladesh witnessed a tense political face-off on Tuesday as right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami’s newly elected MPs refused to take the oath of office, objecting to the Bangladesh ist Party’s (BNP) decision not to take a second pledge as members of the proposed “Constitution Reform Council".

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasirudin administered the first phase of oath to BNP MPs at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Jamaat lawmakers were next in line, but the process stalled after BNP declined to take an additional oath linked to endorsing the referendum-backed reform mechanism.

“We will take no oath unless BNP MPs take oath as members of “Constitution Reform Council" alongside regular parliament members," Jamaat deputy chief Abdullah Mohammad Taher said. He added that his party believed “parliament without the constitutional reform is meaningless".

The second oath is intended to bind MPs to implement the much-publicised “July Charter", which calls for sweeping constitutional amendments. The 84-point proposal was put to a referendum, with the election commission reporting that more than 60 per cent of voters cast a “yes" vote.

However, BNP leaders rejected the need for a separate oath. “We have not been elected as members of the Constitution Reform Council; no provision of the council is yet to be incorporated in the Constitution," said Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of BNP’s standing committee and newly elected MP. He conveyed the party’s position as directed by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman. “None of us (BNP members) will take the second oath," Ahmed said.

In the 13th parliamentary elections, BNP secured 209 of 297 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats. The Awami League, led by deposed premier Sheikh Hasina, was barred from contesting the February 12 polls, after which Jamaat emerged as the principal opposition.

Under the Constitution, President Mohammad Shahabuddin is set to invite the majority party leader to form the government and administer the oath of the cabinet. BNP has said party chairman Tarique Rahman will lead the new government as Prime Minister. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to draw around 1,200 domestic and foreign guests, including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Maldives President Mohammed Muizzoo and representatives from Sri Lanka and Turkey.

News world BNP, Jamaat Face Off At Bangladesh Oath-Taking Over Reform Council Pledge

Read More