Dhaka, Jan 9 (IANS): Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid Thursday invited Awami League President Sheikh Hasina to form the government.

Ihsanul Karim, Hamid's secretary said Hasina has requested the president to start the process of forming the 10th parliament, reported bdnews24.com.

Haina met Hamid after swearing-in of the newly-elected members of parliament.

Meanwhile, a new cabinet will be sworn in Sunday, a week after the general elections. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at 3.30 p.m., cabinet division sources confirmed to The Daily Star Thursday.

Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the new cabinet will take oath early next week. However, he did not specify any date.

"But I can confirm to you that it is going to happen sometimes early next week," he said at a press conference at the secretariat.

The president was expected to administer the oath to the ministers.

Sources from the ruling Awami League party said the new cabinet would have around 30 members and most of the existing ministers would be part of it.

The newly-elected lawmakers of the 10th parliament took the oath Thursday, a day after the election commission issued a gazette notification of the polls result.

According to the constitution, the newly-elected members of parliament are obliged to take oath within three days after the publication of gazette of the election results.

A total of 292 lawmakers were elected in the Jan 5 elections. The voting was held in 147 constituencies, as the remaining 153 constituencies went uncontested in the elections.