Speaker approves Jatiya Party chief Ershad as leader of the official opposition

Jatiya Paty Chairman HM Ershad has been approved as leader of the official opposition in parliament.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury also ratified Jatiya Party co-chairman GM Quader as deputy leader of the official opposition, the parliament secretariat said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Jatiya Party emerged as the second largest bloc in parliament, securing 22 seats in the recent general election.

An ally of the ruling Awami League, the Jatiya Party decided to form the official opposition in parliament.

Jatiya Party had also emerged as the official opposition after Awami League returned for their second-consecutive term in the 2014 general election.

With Ershad’s wife Raushon Ershad as leader of the opposition, Jatiya Party had then replaced BNP as the main opposition in parliament.

In the 2018 election, Awami League returned for a third-consecutive term in power, winning with its allies a total 288 of the 299 seats.

The Oikya Front, the opposition alliance which competed under the BNP's ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol, won eight.

The Awami league and its new cabinet, including their allies, took oath of office as members of parliament on Jan 3.

According to the rules, the first session of the new parliament will have to begin within 30 days of national election.

On Monday, 46 ministers of the new cabinet took oath of office led by Sheikh Hasina, who was sworn in as prime minister for a record fourth time.

On the other hand, winning candidates of the BNP, after rejecting the results of the Dec 30 election over reports of rigging, refused to take oath of office.