The Government

About Bangladesh >> Country Profile | Government | Major Policies

Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

Administrative Setup | Legislature | Judiciary System | Caretaker Government

The President
PRESIDENT
Prof. Iazuddin Ahmed The Prime Minister
PRIME MINISTER
Begum Khaleda Zia

FOREIGN MINISTER
M. Morshed Khan

STATE MINISTER
for FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Reaz Rahman

Click here for a detailed list of Cabinet, State & Deputy Ministers.

Administrative Setup :

Bangladesh switched over to parliamentary system of government in 1991 through an amendment of the Constitution, as propsed by the BNP government. The President, elected by Parliament, is the Constitutional Head of the Government and acts on the advice of the Prime Minister.The Prime Minister, under the provision of the Constitution, is the Head of the Government.
The Prime Minister presides over the cabinet, which is collectively responsible to Parliament. The business of the national government is carried out by various ministries and divisions, which together constitute the nerve centre of the country's administration. Under these bodies lie several government agencies including departments, directorates, corporations and other statutory bodies for executing government policies and decisions

Legislature

According to Article 65 (1) of the Constitution, all legislative powers of the Republic are vested in Parliament called the Jatiya Sangsad comprising three hundred members directly elected from territorial constituencies. The Jatiya Sangsad has a tenure of five years and has to sit every two months.

Judiciary System

The Government has been working for separation of the judiciary from the executive with a view to ensuring full independence of the judiciary. The Supreme Court stands at the apex of the country's judiciary and acts as the guardian of the Constitution. It has two divisions- the Appellate Division and the High Court Division. The legal decisions of the Supreme Court are binding on all other courts. The judges of both the divisions of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President. There are subordinate courts of district and session judges which deal with civil and criminal suits.

Caretaker Government

A unique feature of the Constitution of Bangladesh is the provision of holding general elections under a neutral, non-party Caretaker Government. This provision was first incorporated through an amendment of the Constitution by the BNP government in 1991. This was designed to secure people's franchise so as to ensure peaceful transfer of power. The Constitution provides that the immediate past Chief Justice would be the Head of the Caretaker Government.
If such retired Chief Justice is not available or is not willing to hold office, then the person who among the retired Chief Justices retired just before the last retired Chief Justice will become the head of the Caretaker Government. If no retired Chief Justice is available or willing to hold the office, then the person, who among the retired judges of the Appellate Division retired last will head the Caretaker Government. If such person is not available, the person who retired as Appellate Division Judge before the last retired judge will be the head of the Caretaker Government. If no such person is available, the President shall, after consultation as far as practicable, with major political parties, appoint the Chief Adviser from among the citizens of Bangladesh who is qualified to be appointed as Adviser.
The tenure of such Caretaker Government will begin three months before every general election. Through this system the people of Bangladesh got back their lost right to vote freely and independently without the pressures of the reigning government.

PRESIDENT Prof. Iazuddin Ahmed	PRIME MINISTER Begum Khaleda Zia
FOREIGN MINISTER M. Morshed Khan	STATE MINISTER for FOREIGN AFFAIRS Reaz Rahman