Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on Friday (August 21, 2026) sworn in as Bangladesh’s 23rd President.
Mr. Alamgir, a longtime secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was administered the oath of office by Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, the official office-cum-residence of the head of state. BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman Andaleeve Rahman, and BNP lawmaker Sa Ching Pru also took the oath as ministers. Alamgir was made the local government minister.
When the BNP returned to power in the February 12 elections this year, Mr.
Political analysts, however, said the presidency could assume greater significance under the caretaker government system recently reintroduced to oversee general elections, when the President’s power would increase significantly in commanding the armed forces during such a period.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman, former Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Cabinet ministers, top army brass and several other officials were present at the oath ceremony. BNP’s Shamim Kaiser Lincoln and PM’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir were sworn in as state ministers. Rashiduzzaman Millat, the State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, took the oath in the position of full minister.
After assuming the office of the president, 78-year-old Alamgir administered the oath of office to the five new faces in the Cabinet. The Cabinet now has 55 members, including the Prime Minister.
