Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, elder daughter of the country's founding father, on Thursday formed the government for the fourth consecutive term with a 37-member cabinet as she took oath as the prime minister for fifth term.

Her council of ministers included 25 ministers and 11 state ministers.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office and oath of secrecy to Sheikh Hasina and her new ministers at the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban in Dhaka at 7:06pm.

After the swearing-in, Sheikh Hasina signed the oath of office and oath of secrecy. The ministers and state ministers of the new cabinet also signed afterwards.

The ministers, who took oath, are: AKM Mozammel Haque (MP, Gazipur-1), Obaidul Quader (MP, Noakhali-5), Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun (MP, Narsingdi-4), Asaduzzaman Khan (MP, Dhaka-12), Dipu Moni (MP, Chandpur-3), Md Tajul Islam (MP, Cumilla-9), Muhammad Faruk Khan (MP, Gopalganj-1), Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali (MP, Dinajpur-4), Anisul Huq (MP, Brahmanbaria-4), Hasan Mahmud (MP, Chattogram-7), Md Abdus Shahid (MP, Moulvibazar-4), Sadhan Chandra Majumder (MP, Naogaon-1), RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury (MP, Brahmanbaria-3), Abdur Rahman (MP, Faridpur-1), Narayan Chandra Chanda (MP, Khulna-5), Abdus Salam (MP, Mymensingh-9), Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel (MP, Chattogram-9), Farhad Hossain (MP, Meherpur-1), Md Faridul Haque Khan (MP, Jamalpur-2), Md Zillul Hakim (MP, Rajbari-2), Saber Hossain Chowdhury (MP, Dhaka-9), Jahangir Kabir Nanak (MP, Dhaka-13), Nazmul Hasan Papon (MP, Kishoreganj-6), Architect Yeafesh Osman (technocrat) and Samanta Lal Sen (technocrat).

The state ministers, who took oath, are: Simeen Hussain Rimi (MP, Gazipur-4), Nasrul Hamid (MP, Dhaka-3), Zunaid Ahmed Palak (MP, Natore-3), Mohammad Ali Arafat (MP, Dhaka-17), Muhibbur Rahman Muhib (MP, Patuakhali-4), Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury (MP, Dinajpur-2), Zahid Faruk, (MP, Barishal-5), Kujendra Lal Tripura (MP, Khagrachhari), Rumana Ali (MP, Gazipur-3), Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury (MP, Sylhet-2) and Ahsanul Islam Titu (MP, Tangail-6).

Guests present at the jam-packed glittering Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban included the Jatiya Sangsad speaker, the chief justice, chief election commissioner, judges of the Supreme Court, MPs, foreign diplomats, political leaders, the chiefs of the three services, the members of diplomatic corps, journalists, and high civil and military officials.

The president's spouse Dr Rebecca Sultana, PM's youngest sister Sheikh Rehana and other family members were present at the function.

Attired in a white Jamdani saree, Sheikh Hasina was looking confident and lively at the Durbar Hall. The spacious hall was overflowing with the invited guests, while many of them were seen standing along the walls.

Sheikh Hasina was given a standing ovation when she entered the Durbar Hall at 6:55pm. Minutes later, President Shahabuddin entered the Durbar Hall where the prime minister took oath at 7:06pm.

The oath-taking ceremony took place a day after the Awami League Parliamentary Party unanimously elected Hasina as the Leader of the House, paving the way for her to become the prime minister for an overall fifth term, a record in Bangladesh history.

Hasina, the elder daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won from the Gopalganj-3 parliamentary with a huge margin in the January 7 election. She never lost from this seat in her home district since her first contest in 1986.

The oath-taking ceremony began with the recitation from the Quran.

Sheikh Hasina took oath first pledging to preserve, protect and defend the national constitution and the state sovereignty.

Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the oath-taking function, while around 1,400 guests were invited to witness the historic ceremony.

Earlier, people had assembled in processions from different parts of the capital, chanting slogans hailing Sheikh Hasina.

On January 7, the 12th parliament election was held in 299 constituencies. The Awami League achieved a resounding victory bagging 222 seats with 'boat' symbol.

The Jatiya Party won 11 seats, independent candidates won 62 seats, and partners of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance - Workers Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal - got one seat each. Bangladesh Kalyan Party won one seat as well.

The Awami League, led by Hasina, won the June 1996 parliamentary elections returning to power for the first time since the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975.

In 2001, Hasina became the first leader to step down peacefully after serving full five-year term in office and handed over power to a caretaker administration as per the constitution. Her party though was defeated in the 2001 election conducted by the caretaker government.

She again led her party to an absolute win in the 2008 election, overseen by a military-backed interim government, and took office for the second time in 2009. She also won the next three elections in 2014, 2018 and the latest on January 7, 2024.

In 2014, Hasina’s Awami League won 153 of the 300 parliamentary seats without a contest thanks to a BNP-led opposition boycott. Though BNP joined the 2018 polls, it was tainted by allegations of massive irregularities, denied by the Awami League.

The BNP also stayed away from the January 7 polls after the government rejected its demand to hold the vote under a neutral caretaker administration.