First session of parliament set to begin 12 March
A new speaker and deputy speaker will be elected in this inaugural session
The first session of the new parliament is scheduled to commence on 12 March, during which a new speaker and deputy speaker will be elected.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed shared the information with reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat today (22 February).
The session will also present interim government ordinances and condolence motions
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The minister stated that, according to the constitutional procedure, a summary of the session schedule will be sent from the Parliament Secretariat to the President's Office via the Prime Minister's Office.
Following the prime minister's advice, the president will formally summon the inaugural session.
In addition to the election of the speaker and deputy speaker, the session will see the placement of various ordinances promulgated during the tenure of the interim government. The proceedings will also include a condolence motion and the customary address by the president.
Last night, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed confirmed the matter through a post on his verified Facebook page as well.
"The session will also present interim government ordinances and condolence motions," Salahuddin noted, adding that the speaker and deputy speaker will be elected during this session.
According to the Constitution, the president must summon the inaugural session of a newly elected parliament within 30 days of gazetting the election results, based on written advice from the prime minister.
National elections and a referendum were held on 12 February, with results officially gazetted the next day. Newly elected MPs took their oaths on 13 February, making the first session mandatory before 14 March.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been appointed parliamentary leader, and his government has already begun functioning, though the party is yet to elect a speaker, deputy leader, or chief whip.
Opposition appointments include Shafiqur Rahman of Jamaat-e-Islami as leader, Syed Abdullah Md Taher as deputy leader, and Nahid Islam of the NCP as chief whip.
The deputy speaker is expected to come from the opposition, in line with the July National Charter.
As the constitutional procedure goes, the president delivers the opening speech after cabinet approval, followed by debate.
In the absence of explicit rules on presiding, historical precedent from 1973 allows a senior member to chair the session until the speaker and deputy speaker are formally elected.
Of 300 parliamentary seats, voting occurred in 299. Two Chattogram seats remain undecided due to court orders, and Sherpur-3 was postponed following a candidate's death.
Among the remaining 297 seats, the BNP secured 209, its allies three, Jamaat 68, NCP six, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis three, Islami Andolan one, and independents seven.
