The 13th parliament yesterday held its inaugural sitting amid a heated atmosphere, as opposition MPs staged a walkout in protest against President Mohammed Shahabuddin speaking in the House.
Formed through the February 12 general election, the country’s first credible polls in more than 15 years, the House elected BNP leader and freedom fighter Hafiz Uddin Ahmad as Speaker and first-time MP Kayser Kamal as Deputy Speaker.
“We pledge to place national interest above party interest. Above all, Bangladesh must come first -- this should be our guiding principle.”
Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Speaker of the House
Before being elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Hafiz and Kayser served as minister for Liberation War affairs and state minister for land and forests, respectively.
On the first day, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman placed all 133 ordinances issued by the interim government during its 18-month rule from August 2024, and the House formed a 14-member special committee, comprising members from the treasury and opposition benches, to scrutinise the ordinances.
Around 3:50pm, immediately after Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad announced that President Mohammed Shahabuddin would address the House, opposition MPs began protesting.
The situation remained heated for several minutes. When the Speaker invited the president to speak, Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam sought the floor. As the Speaker did not grant him the microphone, Nahid stood up and protested, shouting, “Killer in the parliament! No, no.”
Opposition members then raised placards and chanted slogans, including “Killer Chuppu, Boycott Chuppu,” despite the Speaker’s repeated calls for calm.
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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other members of the 13th parliament stand in silence during its maiden session yesterday as they unanimously adopt a condolence motion to honour former PM Khaleda Zia, July uprising victims and noted citizens at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Amid the uproar, Shahabuddin entered the chamber and was requested by the Speaker to take his seat.
Treasury members stood up as the president entered, but the opposition continued protesting.
Within a minute, as the national anthem began playing, many opposition members remained seated. At that, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir gestured to them to stand, after which the opposition members rose.
After the anthem ended, the Speaker again urged the president to deliver his speech. At that moment, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman shouted that the president had failed to act as the guardian of the state during the fascist rule.
Shahabuddin then began delivering his speech but paused briefly as opposition members chanted slogans such as “Beware, agents of fascism”, “Beware, agents of dictatorship”, and “Fascism and democracy cannot coexist”, while holding placards with similar messages.
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President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath to newly elected Speaker Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.
This was when Deputy Leader of the Opposition Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher announced the walkout.
It is customary for the president to address the maiden session of parliament, after which MPs participate in the thanksgiving motion on the president’s speech.
Speaking to reporters after the walkout, Shafiqur said they had requested that “those who were allies of the fascist government” and had supported killings not be allowed to address the parliament.
“The president did not protest or take any action over the killings that occurred during his tenure, an act of grave irresponsibility toward citizens despite his role as guardian of the state.”
Referring to the president’s address to the nation on August 5, 2024 -- the day the Awami League government was ousted -- Shafiqur said, “The president had stated at the time that the then prime minister had resigned and that he had accepted the resignation. However, he later denied this in interviews with two media outlets and presented a different account.”
This, according to the opposition leader, proved that the president had “lied to the nation”.
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He added that after the July uprising, the president personally signed an ordinance stating that the election would be held on February 12 and that those elected would take oath as both members of parliament and members of the reform council, with the same person administering both oaths on the same day.
Shafiqur alleged that while the opposition had taken both oaths, the ruling party had not. “The president failed to convene a session of the reform council within 30 days of the gazette publication, and this was his responsibility.”
According to the July National Charter (Constitution Reform) Implementation Order, 2025, the first session of the Constitution Reform Council shall be summoned, in the same manner as the first session of the parliament, within 30 calendar days of the declaration of the election results.
However, while convening the parliament on February 23, the president did not mention anything about convening a session of the reform council.
The parliamentary proceedings yesterday began with the Speaker’s chair vacant for a brief period -- a rare instance in Bangladesh.
The Leader of the House and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, in his introductory speech, nominated five-time BNP lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain to preside over the inaugural session to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul seconded the proposal.
About the context for nominating Mosharraf, Tarique said, “We had to nominate someone to preside over the session due to special circumstances, as the outgoing speaker and deputy speaker were either untraceable, in hiding, or in prison.”
He said that traditionally the outgoing Speaker or Deputy Speaker presides over the inaugural sitting following a general poll.
However, this time, former speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned, and outgoing deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in prison facing a criminal charge.
The prime minister also said that after independence, senior constituent assembly member Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish presided over the inaugural proceedings on the proposal of then prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, before the election of the then speaker and deputy speaker.
Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed the name of Hafiz, lawmaker from Bhola-3, as the Speaker while ruling party whip Rakibul Islam, MP from Khulna-3, expressed support.
Meanwhile, another whip Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu proposed the name of Kayser Kamal, an MP from Netrokona-1, and another whip ABM Ashraf Uddin (Nizan) supported the move.
Both Speaker and Deputy Speaker were then elected unanimously through voice vote, and President Shahabuddin later administered their oaths.
After the session resumed around 12:45pm, the newly elected Speaker attempted to conduct the proceedings through the installed microphones, but sound distortion occurred due to a technical fault.
He adjourned the session for 20 minutes.
Later, in his introductory speech, Speaker Hafiz said that the parliament must become the heart of all political and administrative activities.
“We pledge to place national interest above party interest. Above all, Bangladesh must come first -- this should be our guiding principle.”
He said democracy means governance by the majority. “Both the government and the opposition must unite in the national interest to fulfill the people’s aspirations.
“I humbly express this hope before you. I will remain committed to ensuring that the opposition can play an effective role in this House.”
Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman then placed the 133 ordinances issued by the interim government.
The ordinances were originally enacted under article 93(1) of the constitution, which allows the president to issue laws in emergency situations when parliament is not in session.
According to constitutional rules, any ordinance must be placed before the House in the first sitting of a new parliament, and these must be passed within 30 days from the start of a session, or they lose legal validity.
After placing the bills, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed a 14-member special committee, headed by Barishal-3 lawmaker Zainul Abedin, that will scrutinise these ordinances.
The House also adopted a condolence motion expressing deep sorrow over the deaths of several national and international figures.
During the motion, discussions on the contributions of Bangladesh’s three-time prime minister and BNP leader Khaleda Zia and the martyrs of the July uprising also took place.
Also yesterday, five other committees were formed.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin announced the formation of the Business Advisory Committee and the Parliamentary Committee.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed the names for three other committees: the Special Committee, the Committee on Privileges, and the Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions. These proposals were subsequently passed by voice vote.
The session was adjourned until March 15.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday redistributed the portfolios under the Rules of Business, 1996, with the Cabinet Division issuing a gazette notification.
Ahmed Azam Khan was given the charge of the Liberation War affairs ministry, while State Minister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin was assigned responsibility for the land ministry alongside the Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs ministry.
