Sheikh Hasina was on Monday sworn in as Bangladesh's Prime Minister for a record fourth term following her party's victory in the December 30 elections fraught with violent incidents and allegations of fraud by the opposition. Hasina, 71, was sworn in along with her new 47-member Cabinet before President Abdul Hamid at his official residence in Dhaka. The largest opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, imprisoned after being sentenced to 17 years for corruption, had won only seven seats. Hasina dropped 36 members from the previous cabinet and also didn't pick members of allied parties in her new cabinet, bdnews24.com reported. Leaders from Khaleda Zia's opposition alliance-Jatiya Oikya Front-were absent from the swearing-in ceremony.

Source: bd News24 January 07, 2019 14:15 UTC