Home
+
Published : 21 Feb 2026, 08:31 PM
The first session of the 13th Parliament may be convened on Mar 12 or a few days earlier, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.
On Saturday evening, the BNP Standing Committee member said the speaker and deputy speaker will be elected in this session.
According to the Constitution, the president must summon the first session of a newly elected parliament within 30 days of the gazette notification of election results, following written advice from the prime minister.
The parliamentary elections and referendum were held on Feb 12, with results gazetted the next day.
Newly elected MPs took their oaths on Feb 13, making the first session mandatory before Mar 14.
“The session will also present interim government ordinances and condolence motions,” Salahuddin said.
BNP supremo Tarique Rahman has been appointed parliamentary leader, and his new government has already begun functioning, though the party has yet to elect a speaker, deputy leader, or chief whip.
Opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman of Jamaat-e-Islami, deputy leader Syed Abdullah Md Taher, and Chief Whip Nahid Islam of the NCP have been selected for the opposition.
The deputy speaker is expected to come from the opposition in line with the July National Charter.
Constitutionally, the president delivers the speech at the first session after cabinet approval, followed by debate.
There is discussion over who will preside, as no specific rules exist.
Historical precedent from 1973 allows a senior member to chair the session until the speaker and deputy speaker are elected.
Of 300 seats, voting occurred in 299; two Chattogram seats remain undecided by court order, and Sherpur-3 was postponed due to a candidate’s death.
Of the remaining 297, the BNP won 209 seats, allies three, Jamaat 68, NCP six, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis three, Islami Andolan one, and independents seven.
