The first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad will begin tomorrow, Thursday. However, as of yesterday, it was not clear who will preside over the inaugural meeting and who will be appointed as the new speaker and deputy speaker.
A decision on these matters may be taken at the parliamentary party meeting of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to be held this morning, Wednesday. The meeting will be chaired by the parliamentary leader and prime minister Tarique Rahman.
According to BNP sources, the election of the speaker and deputy speaker, as well as the presiding arrangements for the opening of the session, may be discussed and decided at the meeting.
Due to their majority, the ruling party’s nominated candidates are generally elected as speaker and deputy speaker. Members of the ruling party are usually appointed to both positions.
However, this time, BNP has proposed that the deputy speaker position be given to the opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami. It is not yet certain whether Jamaat-e-Islami will accept the post. A decision on this may be taken at the opposition party meeting today.
The Awami League government fell during the mass uprising on 5 August 2024. One and a half years later, on 12 February, the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections were held under the interim government. The BNP has formed the government with a two-thirds majority in the election.
According to the constitution, a parliamentary session must be convened within 30 days of the announcement of any general election results. President Md Sahabuddin has summoned the first session of the 13th national parliament on 12 March. Accordingly, the first session of the new parliament will begin tomorrow at 11:00 am in the parliament chamber of the National Parliament.
The first session of the Jatiya Sangsad is generally long. The exact duration of this session has not yet been finalised. Once the parliamentary advisory committee is formed, the committee will determine the length of the first session in its meeting.
BNP sources said the party wants experienced and politically acceptable figures in the top parliamentary positions. The names under discussion for the speaker’s post include two members of the party’s standing committee, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Hafizuddin Ahmed, as well as former education minister Osman Faruk. Among them, discussions over Hafizuddin Ahmed are the most prominent.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Prothom Alo last night that the parliamentary party meeting of BNP will finalise the election of the new speaker and the arrangements for who will preside at the opening of the session on Wednesday.
What will happen on the first day
Some formalities are observed at the first meeting of the first session of the new parliament. The first task is the election of the new speaker and deputy speaker. The outgoing speaker or deputy speaker usually presides at the start of the first meeting.
However, this time there is an exception. The speaker of the 12th National Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, resigned in September 2024 and has not been seen in public since. The outgoing deputy speaker, Shamsul Haque, was arrested in a murder case and is in prison.
In this context, there is discussion over who will preside at the start of the first meeting of the 13th national parliament. According to the rules of procedure of the National Parliament, a member of parliament can be appointed as the president’s representative for this purpose. BNP senior leader Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain is mentioned in this regard.
After the president’s speech, the new speaker and deputy speaker are elected. They are then administered the oath by the president. A break is observed in the session at this time. The proceedings then continue under the new speaker, with senior members of parliament usually delivering speeches to welcome the new speaker.
According to the constitution, the president delivers a speech at the first session of a new parliament and at the first session of the year. After the adoption of condolence motions, the president will address the parliament. Members of parliament will discuss the president’s speech throughout the session.
In addition, there is a constitutional obligation to table the ordinances issued during the interim government at the first meeting of parliament. If parliament does not approve an ordinance within 30 days of its tabling, it will cease to be effective.
BNP standing committee member and home minister Salahuddin Ahmed told Prothom Alo that the ordinances issued during the interim government will be reviewed and approved accordingly.
Will Jamaat take the deputy speaker post?
The July National Charter states that the legislature will be bicameral. The upper chamber will be formed in proportion to the votes in the lower chamber. One deputy speaker will be nominated from the opposition in each chamber. While BNP agrees on this, they have a different view on the composition of the upper chamber. However, the party has already proposed giving the deputy speaker post in parliament to Jamaat-e-Islami.
Prothom Alo spoke to three MPs of Jamaat-e-Islami. They said that whether the deputy speaker post will be taken and what Jamaat’s position will be on the president’s speech in parliament may be discussed and decided today, Wednesday, at the opposition party’s parliamentary committee meeting.
A source in Jamaat said there is no precedent for the opposition to receive the deputy speaker post in parliament. This is the first time the matter has appeared in the July National Charter. There was no objection from BNP to the relevant proposal in the July Charter.
There had been no discussion on this matter before the national election. However, after the election, BNP says the post is being given to the opposition as a gesture of generosity. Jamaat wants to take the deputy speaker post according to the July Charter, not as a favour from BNP.
Jamaat assistant secretary general Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer told Prothom Alo yesterday that, under the July National Charter, both deputy speaker posts in the upper and lower chambers go to Jamaat. There is nothing of favour here. It is being heard that these two posts will be given according to the July Charter, but no formal letter or proposal has been received.
The Jamaat leader said BNP must clarify its position on implementing the July Charter. After that, Jamaat will state its position on the deputy speaker post. A decision on this may also come from the opposition party meeting today, Wednesday.