Published : 06 Feb 2026, 01:08 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:07 PM
Law Advisor Asif Nazrul has said the oath of new members of parliament will be administered by a “person nominated by the president” in the absence of the speaker or deputy speaker.
Speaking at the Secretariat on Thursday, he said, if no one administers the oath within three days after being elected, the chief election commissioner may step in.
He said, “According to our Constitution, the new members of parliament… are supposed to take oath before the speaker. If the speaker is absent, the deputy speaker [will administer]. If neither of them is present, another provision exists.
“Now, of the speaker and deputy speaker, one is missing, and the other is in jail. They have serious cases against them and have resigned… So I do not think there is any scope for them to administer the oath.”
Following the ousting of the Awami League government in the July Uprising, the interim government banned the party’s political activities, preventing it from participating in the current election.
Following the 2024 elections, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury had assumed the role of speaker. She is now in hiding as a defendant in a case.
Alongside her, Shamsul Haque Tuku took on the responsibilities of deputy speaker. He is currently in jail as a suspect in a case.
This created a certain complexity regarding who would administer the oath to new members of parliament.
On this, Nazrul said: “Our law provides that if they are unable to administer the oath, then it will be administered by a person nominated by the president, that is, on the suggestion of the chief advisor, someone designated by the president.”
He added, “At this stage, this is a matter of government policy. I cannot give you a final statement, but we effectively have two options.”
Giving an example, he said: “It could perhaps be our chief justice. And if that is not possible, then the chief election commissioner will administer the oath.
“But in that case, there is an issue of waiting three days. We actually do not want to wait. We want to arrange the oath-taking as soon as possible after the election.”
On the matter, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told reporters: “Section 3 of Article 148 states that if the speaker or deputy speaker cannot administer the oath, then after three days, from the fourth day onwards, the chief election commissioner will administer it.”
Asked whether the Election Commission has issued any directive on this, he said: “No, we have not received any instructions.”
