DHAKA, Bangladesh — Khaleda Zia, whose four-party alliance swept last week's parliamentary elections, took oath as prime minister for the third time in a decade.
President Shahabuddin Ahmad administered the oath to Zia, 56, and her Cabinet members on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Zia's main rival, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony. Hasina, whose Awami League lost the Oct. 1 elections, has accused Zia's four-party alliance of winning through fraud, though she has given no public evidence.
Hundreds of her supporters blocked morning traffic in the streets of Dhaka on Wednesday hours before Zia's swearing-in, protesting against what they called a rigged election. Thousands of riot police stood by, but the protests were peaceful.
The Election Commission and international monitoring groups have said the polls were free and fair, despite election-day violence that killed six people.
Zia's alliance, which includes Islamic fundamentalist parties, won 214 of the 300 parliamentary seats. Hasina's Awami League won 62.