First session of 13th Parliament begins

The first session of the 13th National Parliament commenced on Thursday (March 12) at 11:00 am at the National Parliament Building, following the invitation of President Mohammad Shahabuddin. On the opening day, the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker are set to be elected. However, the session was inaugurated with the Speaker’s chair left vacant.

This marks the first parliamentary session since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. As per the Constitution, the President will deliver a speech at the opening of the first session of the new Parliament and administer the oath to the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally commenced the session with a welcome speech. During his address, he invited Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) National Standing Committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a Member of Parliament, to preside over the opening.

According to Bangladesh’s Constitution and the rules of procedure of the National Parliament, the outgoing Speaker or Deputy Speaker is supposed to preside over the inaugural session of a new Parliament.

Following the 12th National Parliament elections on January 7, 2024, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was elected Speaker, and Shamsul Haque Tuku was elected Deputy Speaker. However, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August of the same year, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned as Speaker. Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in prison, accused in a legal case.