11-party alliance MPs finally take oath despite earlier hesitation over BNP position on Constitution Reform Council
Independent MPs-elect were also sworn in, however, independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana refrained from taking oath as a member of the council.
Lawmakers from the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, including NCP, were sworn in as members of parliament this afternoon (17 February), following earlier uncertainty over their participation after BNP declined to take the oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council.
Independent MPs-elect were also sworn in, however, independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana refrained from taking oath as a member of the council.
Earlier in the day, around 11:32am, National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud posted on Facebook that the alliance might not take oath if BNP refused to join the proposed Constitutional Reform Council. Despite this, the alliance and independent lawmakers were sworn in at around 12:22pm.
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Additionally, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told reporters that the MPs would attend the oath-taking ceremony, scheduled for 12 noon, but reiterated that no alliance MP would take the oath if BNP lawmakers did not participate in the reform council.
BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed confirmed at the oath-taking ceremony before the chief election commissioner's speech that the party would not take oath as members of the proposed council, saying it had no constitutional recognition and that any such process could only follow a formal amendment.
The oath-taking ceremony of the 296 newly elected Members of Parliament, including 208 from BNP, formally began at around 10:36am at the National Parliament.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath.
