MPs take oath today, new cabinet tomorrow

Newly elected Members of Parliament are scheduled to take oath today and a new cabinet is set to be sworn in tomorrow (Thursday), following the ruling Awami League-dominated polls.
Officials said the MPs will take oath in a ceremony at 10am, to be administered by Speaker of the 11th Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
Agencies quoting JS sources reported Tuesday that the Parliament Secretariat was setting the stage for the oath-taking ceremony.
President Md Shahabuddin would administer the oath to the prime minister, ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers at the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7pm Thursday, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban this (Wednesday) afternoon.
To be conducted by the Cabinet Secretary, Bangabhaban is set to hold the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet members. The function is expected to be attended by around 1,000 guests, President's Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin said.
While talking to newsmen at Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday, the cabinet secretary said he had yet to receive any instructions about the cabinet size and its members.
With their main-challenger BNP and its allies having boycotted the polls, the Awami League candidates won 222 seats in an overwhelming majority in Sunday's general election, while independent candidates -- most also belonging to the AL -- won 62 seats.
Jatiya Party candidates won in 11 seats and three single candidates each from three parties -- Bangladesh Workers' Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod and Bangladesh Kalyan Party -- secured victory in their respective constituencies.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) published the gazette Tuesday with the list of 298 MPs.
The Jatiya Party will join the swearing-in ceremony for the MPs-elect in a change of heart from an earlier decision to skip taking oath with others.
"The newly elected MPs of the Jatiya Party will take oath tomorrow [Wednesday]," its Office Secretary Mahmud Alam said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the MPs-elect of the party will need to gather at the office of Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament GM Quader in the parliament building by 10am.
Mahmud also said a meeting called for Thursday, as informed by Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu, was cancelled.
Chunnu earlier said their MPs-elect would not take oath on Wednesday. He said they would discuss the matter and take a decision in Thursday's meeting.
Changing decisions is almost a second nature for the Jatiya Party. Its founder, late military ruler HM Ershad, was know for changing his mind quite often.
The trend continued even after his death as his brother Quader and wife Raushon Ershad, the leader of the opposition in parliament, fought on several occasions for control.
Now the party's fate as the opposition in parliament hangs in the balance after it won only 11 of 298 seats in the race despite the BNP boycott and a seat-sharing deal with the Awami League.
The Jatiya Party even lost 15 of the 26 seats ceded by the ruling party after fielding candidates for 265 constituencies.
Legal experts say that the law permits the independents to form one or more alliances and elect a leader of the opposition in parliament.
According to the Constitution, the Speaker administers oath to newly elected MPs after publication of the official gazette of the election results.
"If the Speaker is unable or unwilling to administer the oath within three days of publication of the Gazette, the Chief Election Commissioner shall administer the oath within the next three days," the constitutional provision reads.
And if a Member of Parliament does not take oath within 90 days from the date of the first meeting of the parliament after being elected, his seat shall be vacant. However, before the expiry of this 90-day period, the Speaker can extend it "for good cause".
Usually the MPs of the party with the majority of seats are sworn in first, followed by others in succession.