Bangladesh's MPs-elect sworn in, BNP-led opposition boycotts oath ceremony Thursday Jan 03,2019

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won five seats and its partners in the National Unity Front (NUF) got just two as compared to 258 seats of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and 22 of her ally Jatiya Party in the recently concluded 11th general elections.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who chaired the 10th parliament, first took oath on her own as per parliamentary rules and then administered the oath of office to the Awami League MPs-elect including Hasina at the Oath Room of parliament around 11 am.

Clad in pink and ash coloured jamdani saree, Hasina was seated in the front row, leading the rows of "black and white" Awami League MPs-elect.

The members of other Grand Alliance partners including former president HM Ershad's jatiya Party, left leaning Workers Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and centre-right Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh and Tariqat Federation and independent lawmakers were sworn in thereafter.

The Jatiya Party has won 22 seats, becoming the second largest bloc in parliament.

The seven MPs-elect of opposition NUF boycotted the ceremony. The NUF, with BNP being its key partner, has rejected the election, calling it a "farce" and demanded fresh polls under a non-party caretaker government.

Prime Minister Hasina, however, dismissed the accusations saying the opposition's weaknesses caused their debacle though most Western countries cautiously welcomed her victory in the polls simultaneously noting the opposition allegations.

Under Bangladesh's Constitutional provisions, MPs-elect must take oath within three months or forfeit their seats.