Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin on Monday summoned the first session of the 13th Parliament on March 12, nearly a month after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) assumed office following its victory in the February 12 general elections.
According to a statement issued by the Jatiya Sangsad, the President convened the session under the powers granted to him by Article 72(1) of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
The statement said the maiden sitting of the new Parliament will begin at 11 am. The BNP holds a two-thirds majority in the House, while the Jamaat-e-Islami will serve as the main opposition party.
Earlier, BNP spokesperson Salahuddin Ahmed, who serves as home minister in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet, said the first session would elect a new Speaker.
The BNP formally formed the government on February 17, five days after the parliamentary polls.
Under the Constitution, the President is required to summon the inaugural session of a newly elected Parliament within 30 days of the gazette notification of the election results, acting on the written advice of the Prime Minister.
However, uncertainty remains over who will preside over the inaugural sitting. Parliamentary convention requires the Speaker of the previous Parliament — or, in their absence, the Deputy Speaker — to chair the first sitting solely for the election of a new Speaker.
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Former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Choudhury has resigned and is reportedly at an undisclosed location, while Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in jail.
