Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Tareq Rahman took oath as the new prime minister on Tuesday, February 17, following his party’s sweeping victory in the national parliamentary election held on February 12. The election came nearly 17 months after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government through a mass uprising. Members of Rahman’s cabinet were also sworn in on the same day.

The formation of the new government received wide coverage in international media. Reuters described the event as a decisive shift in South Asian politics, while the Associated Press noted that Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and former president Ziaur Rahman, is the first male prime minister in Bangladesh in 35 years. Deutsche Welle called the BNP’s victory an “easy win,” and Al Jazeera, Dawn, The Hindu, and NDTV all reported on Rahman’s assumption of office, with NDTV describing it as the beginning of a new era in Bangladesh’s politics.

The reports collectively underscored the significance of the BNP’s return to power and the generational political transition represented by Rahman’s leadership.