Cabinet to get some new members Friday

Some new members are set to be added to the current cabinet led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

They are scheduled to take oath on Friday, said high-level sources in the government.

However, the exact number of new cabinet members and their identities could not be known.

Asked about the issue, cabinet secretary Mahbub Hossain told the reporters at the secretariat on Thursday that he was not in a state to make any comments regarding the issue. He would disclose all the details sometimes later.

The new cabinet took oath on 11 January after the 12th parliamentary elections on 7 January. Since then there has been discussions that the cabinet will be expanded after the election of MPs for reserved women seats.

The ruling Awami League nominated 48 candidates for the reserved women seats. The Jatiya Party, the opposition in parliament, gave nominations to the two remaining seats.

All 50 won unopposed as there were no competitors. A number of MPs from reserved seats can join the parliament after taking oath.

Apart from the prime minister, there are 25 full ministers and 11 state ministers in the current cabinet. There is no deputy minister in the 37-member cabinet.