Gazette publication next step in BNP's path to office

The BNP has won an absolute majority in the national election and is set to form the next government, marking its return to power after nearly two decades under the leadership of Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Following the Election Commission's (EC) announcement of results today, attention has shifted to the publication of the official gazette, which EC sources said is expected by tomorrow. 

Before a new cabinet can be sworn in, the Election Commission must publish the official gazette of results. After the gazette is published, the president will summon the first session of parliament, and the oath-taking will formally mark the beginning of the new parliament.

Under Article 148 of the Constitution, newly elected members must take their oath within three days of the gazette's publication. The countdown begins from the date of publication, not from the announcement of preliminary results, and the oath is usually administered by the previous speaker.

However, after the mass uprising of 2024, speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned on 2 September. The previous parliament's deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in prison but has not resigned.

In this context, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told The Business Standard that under Article 148, the speaker – or, in the speaker's absence, the deputy speaker – administers the oath to newly elected members. 

"If neither the speaker nor deputy speaker is available, the chief election commissioner will administer the oath within three days, starting from the fourth day after the gazette is published," he said.

He added that since both the speaker and deputy speaker are currently unavailable, the chief election commissioner will conduct the oath-taking on the fourth day following the gazette's publication. 

On the expected timing of the gazette, he said, "If it is not published today [Friday], it will be issued tomorrow [Saturday]."

BNP's big win

The EC published preliminary results for 297 constituencies. Voting was held in 299 seats, but results from Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4 were withheld due to court cases against the winning candidates.

According to preliminary results, the BNP secured 209 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats, placing it second. Other winners included the NCP with six seats, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis with two, and independent candidates with seven. 

Smaller parties, including Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolon, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, and Khelafat Majlis, won one seat each.

Voter participation was 59.44%, according to EC Public Relations Director Ruhul Amin Mallik. Out of 127,711,793 registered voters, 75,359,684 cast their ballots. A total of 2,028 candidates from 50 political parties and independent groups contested across 299 constituencies.

The full results were released at 3:50pm yesterday, nearly 24 hours after polls closed at 4:30pm. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said the inclusion of referendum and postal ballots delayed finalisation but stressed that there was no scope for manipulation or irregularities.