The 13th Parliament is set to start its five-year journey with its first session on Thursday morning, just one month on from the February 12 general election.
Unlike in the past however, the first session of the new parliament is going to begin with the Chair of Speaker vacant as the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are currently unavailable.
At the outset of the session, Leader of the House and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will deliver a welcome speech and nominate the name of a senior member of parliament to temporarily chair the House before election to the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker by Members of Parliament.
BNP wants effective, vibrant parliament: Chief Whip
Following their elections, the session is likely to be adjourned for some time and the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker will take oath. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath.
Then the session will resume with the newly elected Speaker or Deputy Speaker in the chair. In the first-day sitting of the session, a condolence motion will be placed, expressing profound grief at the death of three-time prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, former MPs and other noted personalities. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will also deliver his speech in the House on Thursday.
A meeting of the BNP Parliamentary Party chaired by Tarique Rahman was held at the ruling party’s meeting room at Sangsad Bhaban, a day before the maiden session of the 13th parliament.
BNP MPs to attend parliamentary party meeting Wednesday
Following the meeting, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters that the prime minister will nominate a senior BNP lawmaker to temporarily preside over the House as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are currently unavailable.
“Since the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are not available, the leader of the House will announce who will preside over the House. Then the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker will be elected,” he said, outlining the tentative procedure of the first day business of the maiden session.
After their election, the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker will take oath. “The President (Mohammed Shahabuddin) will administer the oath to them as per the rules of procedure of Parliament, " he said.
Salahuddin said then the House will sit again and the panel of chairmen for the first session of Parliament will be announced. Then a condolence motion will be placed and discussion on the motion will be held, he added.
The Law Minister will place 133 ordinances (seeking endorsement of parliament) and several parliamentary committees such as the business advisory committee of parliament will be elected, he said.
“Then the President will deliver the speech in the House,” said Salahuddin Ahmed.
The first meeting of the business advisory committee is likely to be held the following day and the session is most likely to be adjourned after another sitting on March 15, he said.
Usually the first session of a new parliament begins with the Speaker of the previous parliament in chair and then the election of the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker is held.
Meanwhile, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni on Wednesday said the ruling party wants the 13th parliament to be effective and vibrant where problems will be resolved through discussion and debate.
“Our goal is to run an effective, vibrant and responsible parliament. We want an environment of constructive discussion, rational argument and healthy debate on national issues in parliament,” he said at a press briefing after a meeting of BNP’s parliamentary party.
He said a member nominated by the Prime Minister will temporarily preside over the House.
The Chief Whip said the BNP Parliamentary Party (BPP) on Wednesday authorised the Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman to decide the candidates for the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 13th Parliament.
“We have entrusted the Leader of the House with the responsibility of deciding the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. He will take the decision, and we will know it tomorrow,” he said.
He said the proceedings of Thursday’s sitting will begin with the Speaker’s chair vacant. The session will start with recitation from the Holy Quran, he added.
After that, the Leader of the House will propose the name of a senior MP to preside over the sitting temporarily, which will be seconded by another MP. The nominated member will then preside over the session, said the Chief Whip.
Nurul Islam also said 133 ordinances promulgated during the tenure of the interim government will be placed before parliament on Thursday.
Replying to a question, the Chief Whip said the Prime Minister showed “great generosity” by offering the post of Deputy Speaker to the opposition.
“But we have not received any positive response from them so far. If we do, necessary steps will be taken accordingly,” he said.
On February 23 last, President Mohammed Shahabuddin summoned the first session of the new parliament under the powers conferred by Article 72(1) of the Constitution.
This session will mark both the inaugural sitting of the 13th Parliament and the first parliamentary session of 2026.
The parliamentary elections were held on February 12 last, with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) winning it with two-thirds majority.
The 13th parliamentary election was held in 299 out of the country’s 300 constituencies on February 12 as the election to Sherpur-3 constituency was postponed following the death of a candidate.
The Election Commission of Bangladesh published the gazette notification on February 13, declaring results for 297 seats.
In the 297 constituencies, BNP won in 209 parliamentary seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami in 68, NCP settled victory in six constituencies, independent candidates in seven constituencies, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish in two, Islami Andolan Bangladesh in one, Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP (led by Andaleeve Rahman Partho) in one, Ganaodhikar Parishad in one, Ganasamhati Andolan in one and Khelafat Majlish in one parliamentary seat.
Later, the newly elected MPs were sworn in on February 17 and Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin administered the oath. BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, who was elected from two constituencies, took oath as MP from Dhaka-17 constituency, leaving Bogura-6 constituency for by-election.
According to Article 72(1) of the Constitution, Parliament must be summoned to meet within 30 days after the declaration of the results of polling at any general election.
The same article also states that unless sooner dissolved by the President, Parliament shall stand dissolved on the expiration of five years from the date of its first meeting. So, the five-year tenure of the 13th Parliament will officially commence with its first sitting on March 12.