BNP holds parliamentary meeting, set to finalise speaker candidate

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the leader of the government, is presiding over the meeting

The parliamentary representatives of the ruling BNP party have met to finalise the candidates for the elections to the posts of speaker and deputy speaker in the first session of the 13th National Parliament.

The meeting began at 11:30am at the meeting room for the government parliamentary party on the ninth floor of the Parliament Building.

The meeting is being presided over by the leader of the government, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Chief Whip Nurul Islam said.

He said, "The first session is tomorrow. This meeting is part of the preparations."

The first session of the 13th National Parliament will start at 11am on Thursday. The day's programme for the session includes the election of the speaker and deputy speaker.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will also deliver a speech at the session.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the ruling party, said: "In the first session, various ordinances issued during the interim government will be raised in parliament. In addition, a condolence motion for the session will be presented."

The elections for the 13th National Parliament were held on Feb 12. After the swearing-in ceremony of the new MPs on Feb 17, the first meeting of the BNP parliamentary party unanimously elected party chairman Tarique Rahman as the head of government. He took his oath as the prime minister that afternoon.

The results of two seats in the 300-seat parliament remain pending, while voting in one constituency has been suspended due to the death of a candidate.

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

In addition, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Gono Adhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), Gana Sanghati Andolan and Khelafat Majlis won one seat each. Independent candidates have taken seven seats.

On Thursday, the Parliament Secretariat made all the preparations for the first session of the national parliament. The parliament session room, the rooms of the speaker and deputy speaker, the leader of the government and the leader of the opposition have been arranged.

The National Parliament Building was also attacked during the student uprising on Aug 5, 2024. As a result, the Parliament Secretariat had to conduct repair and renovation work as well.