Sheikh Hasina takes oath as Bangladesh prime minister for third consecutive term

Sheikh Hasina was sworn in as Banglesh's prime minister for a record fourth term on Monday after her Awami League's landslide victory in recent elections that was marred by dely violence and allegations of vote rigging.

President Md Abdul Hamid ministered oath of office to 71-year-old Hasina at Bangabhaban for a record third consecutive term. Hasina was first elected prime minister in 1996 and n again in 2008 and 2014.

president n ministered oaths for new ministers, ministers of state and deputy ministers who will form Cabinet.

Hasina will le a Cabinet of 24 ministers, 19 ministers of state and three state ministers. Her Cabinet is mostly me up of new faces. Thirty-one members of new Cabinet are first-timers.

Several veterans were dropped from council of ministers amid speculation about inductions as major portfolios like defence were retained by Hasina herself.

new ministers include Asuzzaman Khan Kamal (Home Affairs), Mohamm Hasan Mahmud (Information), AHM Mustafa Kamal (Finance), Dipu Moni (Education) and AK Abdul Momen (Foreign Affairs).

Hasina, who h included representatives from Awami League's allied parties in previous cabinets, has t picked any of m in her new cabinet.

Inste, new cabinet exclusively consists of members of Awami League.

Jatiya Party, a key partner in Awami League-led Grand Alliance of Hasina, has decided to occupy opposition benches in Parliament after main opposition BNP led by ex-premier Khaleda Zia rejected results of general election.

Hasina, president of Awami League, won 11th parliamentary elections with a landslide victory even as Opposition rejected "farcical" polls marred by violence that claimed 17 lives, making it one of deliest polls in country's history.

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Her ruling Grand Alliance won 96 per cent of seats contested in election. Hasina and her alliance have dismissed accusations of vote rigging.

Hasina was pitted against a united opposition Jatiya Oikya Front (United National Front) led by octogenarian Kamal Hossain, an Oxford-educated jurist and former foreign minister. Her arch-rival and jailed ex-premier chief Zia, who has been serving a 17-year sentence for corruption, was barred from contesting polls.

On January 3, she was chosen as leer of House for fourth time.

Hasina, daughter of Banglesh's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is termed by many as country's iron ly.

She has been praised by her supporters for cracking down on Islamist extremists after five homegrown terrorists stormed a Dhaka cafe in 2016, killing 20 hosts, including one Indian.

She also launched trials of powerful Islamist opposition over crimes committed during 1971 independence war.

Her critics, however, accuse her of crushing opposition and creating a one-party dominant political system in Banglesh. 

Western nations, including United States and United Kingdom, have cautiously welcomed Hasina's victory but called for a probe into "credible reports" of irregularities, harassment, intimidation and violence.

"re are worrying indications that reprisals have continued to take place, tably against political opposition, including physical attacks and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests, harassment, disappearances and filing of criminal cases," UN said in a statement recently. 

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