Dhaka: Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed on Sunday took over as the head of the interim administration. He would govern the country and oversee the general elections next January.
The oath was administered by Chief Justice Syed J R Mudassir Hussain. However, main opposition Awami League (AL) refused to accept him.
Ahmed took oath at a televised ceremony held in Presidental Palace 'Bangabhawan' after his crisis talks with BNP, AL, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami ended without a consensus on who should head the interim administration.
The 14-party opposition led by AL boycotted the oath-taking ceremony and vowed to continue with their blockade of the capital and street protests that had paralised the country and left at least 20 people dead and hundreds injured in three days of deadly street violence.
Ahmed held daylong parleys with representatives of major parties to arrive at a decision. However, mainstream political parties failed to agree on an interim Prime Minister.
Sunday's crunch talks followed the refusal of former chief justice K M Hasan to head the non-party caretaker government, amid opposition's allegations that he was a supporter of BNP headed by Khaleda Zia, who stepped down on Friday as Prime Minister.
The president's office had sent out invitations to VIPs and diplomats, The Daily Star newspaper said.
(With agency inputs)
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