Chief Adviser of Bangladesh


The chief adviser of Bangladesh, officially the chief adviser of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the chief executive of the caretaker and the interim government of Bangladesh, who serves as the head of government during the transition period between one elected government and another. With powers roughly equivalent to those of the prime minister of an elected government, their executive power is limited by the constitution. The chief adviser leads an advisory committee comprising several advisers, all of them selected from among politically neutral individuals to be acceptable to all major political parties. The office of the chief adviser is called Chief Adviser's Office.
WWW cao.gov.bd𝕏 ChiefAdviserGoB

History

The caretaker government system of Bangladesh was introduced in March 1996 through the passage of the 13th amendment to the Bangladesh constitution. The system was formed to hold parliamentary elections after the election in February conducted by the Khaleda Zia government was widely boycotted by the opposition parties. The amendment recommended making the last retired chief justice the chief adviser. In 1996, Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman was appointed the chief adviser of the caretaker government. Along with the President of Bangladesh, Abdur Rahman Biswas, prevented the 1996 Bangladesh coup d'état attempt.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party had some difficult appointing a chief adviser to the caretaker government, which led to the 2006–08 Bangladeshi political crisis. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party appointed President Iajuddin Ahmed the chief adviser to the caretaker government, but he faced demands for resignation from Bangladesh Awami League. Iajuddin Ahmed was replaced by Fakhruddin Ahmed. During the crisis, the military-backed caretaker government was led by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed. Fakhruddin Ahmed appointed three special assistants to himself who were given the rank of a state minister. The assistants were Barrister Debashis Roy, Brigadier-General M. A. Malek, and Professor M Tamim. There was some debate about the constitutional validity of the assistant to the chief advisers.
The caretaker government system was scrapped along with the 13th amendment in 2011 through the passage of the 15th Amendment of the constitution to allow the elected government to conduct any general election in the future, with the chief justice of Bangladesh, A.B.M. Khairul Haque, declaring the caretaker government system illegal and unconstitutional.
The office of Chief Adviser was restored in August 2024 under the extra-constitutional setup of an interim government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Economist Muhammad Yunus took the position. Following the High Court's verdict in December 2024, several sections of the Fifteenth Amendment were scrapped, formally restoring the caretaker system.

Composition of the non-party caretaker government

  1. Non-party caretaker government shall consist of the chief adviser at its head and ten or fewer other advisers, all of whom shall be appointed by the president.
  2. The chief adviser and other advisers shall be appointed within fifteen days after Parliament is dissolved or stands dissolved, and during the period between the date on which Parliament is dissolved or stands dissolved and the date on which the chief adviser is appointed, the prime minister and his cabinet who were in office immediately before Jatiya Sangsad was dissolved or stood dissolved shall continue to hold office as such.
  3. The president shall appoint as chief adviser the person who among the retired chief justices retired last and who is qualified to be appointed as an adviser under this article: Provided that if such retired chief justice is not available or is not willing to hold the office of chief adviser, the president shall appoint as chief adviser the person who among the retired chief justice of Bangladesh retired next before the last retired chief justice.
  4. If no retired chief justice is available or willing to hold the office of chief adviser, the president shall appoint as chief adviser the person who among the retired judges of the Appellate Division retired last and who is qualified to be appointed as an adviser under this article: Provided that if such retired judge is not available or is not willing to hold the office of chief adviser, the president shall appoint as chief adviser the person who among the retired judges of the Appellate Division retired next before the last such retired judge.
  5. If no retired judge of the Appellate Division is available or willing to hold the office of chief adviser, the president shall, after consultation, as far as practicable, with the major political parties, appoint the chief adviser from among citizens of Bangladesh who are qualified to be appointed as advisers under this article.
  6. Notwithstanding anything contained in this chapter, if the provisions of clauses, and cannot be given effect to, the president shall assume the functions of the chief adviser of the non-party caretaker government in addition to his functions under this Constitution.
  7. The president shall appoint advisers from among the persons who are
  8. # qualified for election as members of parliament;
  9. # not members of any political party or any organisation associated with or affiliated to any political party;
  10. # not, and have agreed in writing not to be, candidates for the ensuing election of members of parliament;
  11. # not over seventy-two years of age.
  12. The advisers shall be appointed by the president on the advice of the chief adviser.
  13. The chief adviser or an adviser may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the president.
  14. The chief adviser or an adviser shall cease to be chief adviser or adviser if he is disqualified to be appointed as such under this article.
  15. The chief adviser shall have the status, and shall be entitled to the remuneration and privileges, of a prime minister, and an adviser shall have the status, and shall be entitled to the remuneration and privileges, of a minister.
  16. The non-party caretaker government shall stand dissolved on the date on which the prime minister enters upon his office after the constitution of the new parliament.

Chief Adviser's Office

The Chief Adviser's Office is the official workplace of the chief adviser of Bangladesh during an interim or caretaker government. Its the office of the Head of Government of Bangladesh during an interim or caretaker government. It is equivalent to the Prime Minister's Office during an elected government.
It represents the executive branch of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh during an interim or caretaker government. The location of the CAO is in Tejgaon, Dhaka.

Headquarters

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an Interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024. During the initial days of the interim government, Jamuna State Guest House acted as the Chief Adviser's Office as the Prime Minister's Office at Tejgaon was vandalised on 5 August 2024 as the result of July Revolution. After a 15 days repair work, the office was restored and converted into the Chief Adviser's Office.

Organizations under Chief Adviser's Office

The following is the list of organizations under CAO:
  1. Sub-regional Co-operation Cell (SRCC)
  2. Governance Innovation Unit (GIU)
  3. Private Export Processing Zone (PEPZ)
  4. NGO Affairs Bureau
  5. Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA)
  6. Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA)
  7. Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA)
  8. Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA)
  9. National Skills Development Authority
  10. Special Security Force (SSF)
  11. National Security Intelligence (NSI)

Special Positions Under the Chief Adviser's Office in the Yunus Ministry

Below is the list of Special Positions Under the Chief Adviser's Office in the Yunus Ministry.
NamePositionStatus Equivalent toDate of AppointmentDate of TerminationCareer Highlights
Shafiqul AlamPress Secretary to the Chief AdviserSecretary
Senior Secretary 		13 August 2024Currently in OfficeJournalist and Bangladesh Bureau Chief of Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Lamiya MorshedPrincipal Coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) AffairsSenior Secretary14 August 2024Currently in OfficeExecutive Director of Yunus Centre and Grameen Healthcare Trust
Abdul HafizSpecial Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Defence and National Solidarity DevelopmentAdviser22 August 2024Currently in OfficeRetired Lieutenant General of Bangladesh Army
Lutfey SiddiqiSpecial Envoy on International Affairs to the Chief AdviserAdviser4 September 2024Currently in OfficeProfessor in Practice, London School of Economics and Political Science
Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore
Khalilur RahmanHigh Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters
National Security Adviser and High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issue 		Adviser19 November 2024Currently in OfficeFormer Head of Economic, Social and Development Affairs of Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
Member, Board of Trustees, East West University
Monir HaidarSpecial Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Consensus BuildingSenior Secretary6 February 2025Currently in OfficeJournalist
Ashik ChowdhuryExecutive Chairman, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA)Senior Secretary
Minister of State 		12 September 2024Currently in OfficeChartered Financial Analyst
Ali RiazSpecial Assistant to the Chief AdviserAdviser12 November 2025Currently in OfficePolitical scientist and Writer
Distinguished Professor, Department of Politics and Government,Illinois State University
Head of Constitutional Reform Commission

List of chief advisers of Bangladesh

There have been 5 chief advisers of Bangladesh so far.