13th Parliament Begins First Session After 20 Months Following Election

The first session of Bangladesh’s 13th Parliament has begun nearly 20 months after the previous parliament, following a national election held after an interim government period.

In the absence of Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku of the 12th Parliament after the mass uprising of 2024, senior lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain presided over the opening session with the unanimous consent of members of parliament.

Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman entered the parliament chamber at 10:55 am. Members of both the treasury and opposition benches greeted him by thumping their desks. This marked the first time Tarique Rahman entered the National Parliament as an elected member.

The session was formally initiated by Parliament Secretariat Secretary Kaniz Mowla. At 11:05 am, the session began with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the inaugural speech by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

In his address, he paid tribute to all martyrs of movements and struggles in the country, starting from the Liberation War of 1971 to the present day.

Tarique Rahman said, “Begum Khaleda Zia fought for democracy until the last days of her life. She never compromised with autocracy or fascism.”

He also paid tribute to BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

The Prime Minister said the journey toward the desired democracy in the country has begun and that he represents the people of the country regardless of party affiliation. He added that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) aims to make every family self-reliant.

“There can be no disagreement over building a self-reliant Bangladesh,” he said, calling for cooperation from all in achieving that goal.

At the time when the chamber was full of lawmakers, including the Leader of the House, the Speaker’s chair remained vacant. As it was the first session of the new parliament, the President’s chair was placed beside the Speaker’s seat.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman then proposed the name of senior lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain to preside over the session. The proposal was fully supported by BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Jamaat-e-Islami MP Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher also supported the proposal but remarked that it would have been better if the opposition had been consulted beforehand.

As lawmakers expressed their approval by thumping desks, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain stood up from the front row of the treasury bench. He then left the chamber and proceeded to the fourth floor in a wheelchair to preside over the session. An announcement was made in the chamber about the arrival of the presiding member.

At 11:25 am, after taking the Speaker’s seat, he was greeted by lawmakers with desk-thumping applause.

Speaker and Deputy Speaker Elected

Presiding member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain informed the House that only one nomination had been submitted for the position of Speaker. The nominee was BNP Standing Committee member and MP for Bhola-3, Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who had agreed to take on the responsibility.

Chief Whip and MP from Barguna Nurul Islam Moni placed the proposal in the House, which was supported by Khulna-3 MP Rakibul Islam.

The proposal was passed unanimously.

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain then declared: “By unanimous decision and without contest, MP Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has been elected Speaker of the 13th Parliament.”

The House then moved to the election of the Deputy Speaker.

The presiding member announced that only one nomination had been received for the post. The nominee was MP for Netrokona-1 and State Minister for Land, Kaiser Kamal, who had also agreed to take the position.

Parliamentary Whip and Natore-2 MP Ruhul Quddus Talukdar placed the proposal, which was supported by Lakshmipur-4 MP ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan.

The proposal was passed unanimously.

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain declared: “By unanimous decision and without contest, MP and State Minister for Land Kaiser Kamal has been elected Deputy Speaker of the 13th Parliament.”

After the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain adjourned the session for half an hour and took leave from the chair after exchanging greetings with members.

Background

The last session of the previous parliament ended on July 3, 2024, following the passage of the national budget for the 2024–25 fiscal year.

Subsequently, the government led by Sheikh Hasina fell amid a massive student–public uprising. After carrying out reforms, the interim government held national elections on February 12.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a landslide victory and formed the government. Newly elected members of parliament took oath on February 17.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin convened the session on February 23 under Article 72(1) of the Constitution. The Parliament Secretariat later published the official schedule.

This is both the first session of the 13th Parliament and the first parliamentary session of 2026. Under parliamentary practice, the President delivers a speech at the first session of the year, followed by a motion of thanks and discussions on the address.