13th parliament’s first session begins

The first sitting of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) has begun. The session commenced at 11:05 am on Thursday with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an, while the speaker’s chair in the chamber remained vacant.

Shortly before 11:15 am, prime minister Tarique Rahman began his address after the recitation. He paid tribute to all those martyred in movements and struggles from 1971 to the present.

In his speech, prime minister Tarique Rahman proposed the name of Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain to preside over the parliamentary sitting. The proposal was fully supported by Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The proposal was endorsed by the opposition deputy leader, Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher.

Usually, the first sitting of a newly elected parliament begins under the chairmanship of the speaker or deputy speaker of the outgoing parliament.

The election of the new speaker and deputy speaker is also conducted under their supervision. However, this time the process has taken an unusual turn.

After resigning in September 2024, the speaker of the 12th parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, has not been seen publicly. Meanwhile, the outgoing deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in prison after being arrested in a murder case.

Under these circumstances, the parliamentary sitting began today with the Speaker’s chair left vacant in the chamber.