Hasina holds meeting with Speaker Shirin Sharmin in parliament

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has held a meeting with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in parliament.

Though the one and a half hours meeting was held on Tuesday amid discussions over presidential election, Shirin told reporters that they did not discuss the issue.

When the session was under way around 9pm, Hasina went to the speaker’s office. After the session, Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah joined them. The prime minister left the speaker’s office around 10:30pm.

Speaker Shirin told reporters after the meeting that they discussed the next budget, development programmes and activities of Sangsad Television channel.

Asked about the president election, she said they did not discuss the issue and added she did not know anything about it.

But, she also said Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda is coming to meet her on Wednesday afternoon.

“I will know why he is coming only by meeting him,” she said.

According to the Constitution, the election has to be held between the last 60 and 90 days of the incumbent head of state’s tenure, which starts on Wednesday.

President Md Abdul Hamid’s five-year term expires on Apr 23, which means the election has to be held between Jan 24 or Wednesday and Feb 23.

In that case, the polls will be held during the ongoing parliament session.

The chief election commissioner organises the presidential election in which only the MPs vote in parliament.

On Monday, Law Minister Anisul Huq said he heard the presidential election would be held on Feb 19.

The Election Commission, however, is yet to announce the schedule for the election.

MPs voted to elect a president only once in 1991, when parliamentary democracy was reinstated. Since then, he has been elected unopposed.

On Apr 24, 2013, Abdul Hamid was sworn in as the 20th president. Since independence, 16 people have headed the state for 19 terms. Hamid is the 17th person to serve as Bangladesh’s president.