DHAKA, Jan 13: Members of Bangladesh's new interim government were sworn in on Saturday, after a bitter impasse between the country's two main political parties led to cancelled elections and a state of emergency.

Five members of the 10-member advisory council took the oath in a ceremony shown live on state-run television at the presidential palace in Dhaka.

The five included a newspaper owner, two leading businesspeople, a former chairman of the Security Exchange Commission, and a former anti-corruption commission official.

The remaining members of the non-party 10-member cabinet were due to be appointed over the next few days.

The authorities had earlier lifted a curfew imposed two days ago as part of the emergency but the capital Dhaka's streets remained almost deserted.

Only cycle rickshaws, a few buses and cars were on the roads, even though Saturday was a normal working day.

The main opposition Awami League had threatened to resume protests on Sunday but called them off after their demand for the cancellation of elections due later in January was met.

Former Bangladesh central bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed was sworn in as caretaker chief at a ceremony on Friday.

—AFP