Dhaka: The BNP Parliamentary Party (BPP) on Wednesday granted Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman the authority to determine the candidates for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad. Chief Whip Nurul Islam announced this decision while addressing reporters at the LD Hall after a meeting of the BNP’s parliamentary party. The meeting took place in the ruling party’s parliamentary party room on the ninth floor of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, with Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman presiding.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad is set to commence at 11 am on Thursday, during which the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are expected to be elected. Nurul Islam noted that the proceedings of Thursday’s session will begin with the Speaker’s chair unoccupied. The session will start with a recitation from the Holy Quran, after which the Leader of the House will propose a senior Member of Parliament to temporarily preside over the sitting, a proposal that will be seconded by another MP. The nominated member will then oversee the session.
Nurul Islam further mentioned that 133 ordinances issued during the interim government’s tenure will be presented before parliament on Thursday. He stated that a special committee will be formed during the sitting to examine these ordinances, including members from both the treasury bench and the opposition. Responding to a query, the Chief Whip indicated that the Prime Minister extended an offer for the Deputy Speaker position to the opposition. However, no positive response has been received from them thus far. If a response is received, necessary actions will be taken. The Chief Whip emphasized the desire for the 13th parliament to be effective, with issues resolved through discussion and debate.