133 ordinances to be placed Opposition to adopt firm stance in favour of July charter order

The 13th Jatiya Sangsad goes into its maiden session today, with proceedings expected to begin under the chairmanship of a senior lawmaker in the absence of the speaker and deputy speaker of the previous parliament.

Lawmakers would elect the speaker and the deputy speaker as the sitting will begin. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer oath to the speaker and the deputy speaker.

The vacancy arose after the resignation of the previous parliament’s speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in September 2024. She has reportedly remained in hiding since then.

Former deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in jail in several cases filed against him following the August 5, 2024 ouster of the Awami League regime amid a mass uprising.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Wednesday imposed a ban on carrying weapons, explosives, harmful materials and on holding meetings, rallies, processions and demonstrations in and around the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban during the session.

It also imposed a restriction on vehicular movement around the JS area from 8:00am to 11:00am on Thursday.

Ruling BNP lawmakers on Wednesday authorised the prime minister to nominate candidates for the two key parliamentary posts.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party parliamentary party held at the Parliament building on Wednesday, chief whip Nurul Islam Moni told reporters after the meeting.

He said that the issue of electing the speaker and deputy speaker was discussed at the meeting and the parliamentary party decided that the parliamentary leader would determine the nominations.

The chief whip said that the names would be announced on Thursday.

Nurul Islam also outlined the agenda for the first sitting of the new parliament, where president Mohammed Shahabuddin will deliver his address.

According to the chief whip, the first sitting will begin in an unconventional manner as there is currently no speaker or deputy speaker in office.

The session will begin with the chair vacant, followed by a recitation from the Quran.

The prime minister, as parliamentary leader, will then propose a senior lawmaker to preside over the sitting. The proposal will be supported by another lawmaker.

The nominated member will preside over the session during which the speaker and deputy speaker will be elected.

After the election, the newly elected speaker will take the chair. The panel of chairpersons will then be nominated, a condolence motion will be tabled and discussed, and tributes will be paid to late political leaders, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia, as well as to July fighters and other distinguished individuals who died in recent events.

The chief whip said that 133 ordinances would be placed before the House by the law minister, followed by the presentation of the 2024 report of the Public Service Commission, after which the parliamentary leader will deliver a speech.

He said that efforts would be made to form several parliamentary bodies, including the business advisory committee, special committees, the privileges committee and other standing committees.

Asked whether there had been discussions about allocating the post of deputy speaker to the opposition, the chief whip said that no positive response had yet been received from opposition parties.

‘If we receive a response, we will take steps accordingly,’ he said.

Responding to another question, he said that no decision had yet been taken regarding the post of deputy leader of the house and that the parliamentary leader would decide whether such a position would be appointed.

Regarding the proposed July Charter under discussion at the National Consensus Commission, the chief whip said that their position was clear, noting that lawmakers had not taken any oath in that regard because it was not included in the constitution.

He said that the 133 ordinances promulgated by the president during the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus would be examined by a special parliamentary committee comprising members from all parties, including the opposition.

The committee will review the ordinances to determine which should lapse and which should be accepted according to parliamentary rules, while those requiring passage will be approved by parliament.

Opposition party leaders said that they would adopt a firm stance in favour of reforms during the session, in line with the July National Charter (Constitution Reform) Implementation Order, 2025.

Meanwhile, following a meeting of opposition lawmakers, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday told reporters that the July Charter stipulated that one of the deputy speaker posts should go to the opposition and stressed that his party did not want the matter addressed in a fragmented manner but as part of a comprehensive package through the full acceptance and implementation of the charter.

He said that the party wanted the reform proposals under the July Charter to be fully implemented and that the opposition would seek only what was due to them under those provisions.

Regarding the party’s role in response to the president’s address in the first parliamentary session, Shafiqur said that the issue had been discussed extensively and that their position would become visible during the sitting.

He said that the party intended to act as a responsible opposition, noting that it would neither oppose everything indiscriminately nor offer support without proper understanding.

Shafiqur said that the party would support and cooperate with government decisions and measures that would serve the interests of the country and its people, but would oppose any step that would harm national interests.

The opposition deputy leader in parliament and Jamaat’s nayeb-e-amir, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, termed president Sahabuddin a stooge of fascists and said that he had no right to address the parliament.

He made the remarks following the meeting with opposition lawmakers on Wednesday.

Taher also said that they considered the president unfit to deliver a speech in parliament and that the BNP’s decision to allow him to do so was unclear to them.

The 13th parliamentary election was held on February 12.

Following the swearing-in of newly elected lawmakers on February 17, the BNP parliamentary party unanimously elected Tarique Rahman as leader of the house, and he was sworn in as prime minister later that afternoon.

In the 300-seat parliament, results for two constituencies remain suspended, while the election in one seat was cancelled due to the death of a candidate.

Of the remaining 297 seats, the BNP secured 209 seats, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats, the National Citizen Party obtained six seats and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis won two seats.

Besides, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Ganosamhati Andolan and Khelafat Majlis secured one seat each, while independent candidates won seven seats.