President Mohammad Abdul Hamid has summoned a special session of parliament at 11 am on Sunday (March 22) marking the ‘Mujib Borsho’, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centernary.

This will be the 7th session of the 11th Parliament and 2nd session of the year 2020, said a press release of the parliament secretariat public relations department on Tuesday.

The President has summoned the session through the power bestowed on him under clause 1 of the Bangladesh constitution.

President Abdul Hamid expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of Suddhananda Mahathero, foremost Buddhist religious leader and chief abbot of Kamalapur Dharmarajika Buddhist Mahabihar.

In his message, President Abdul Hamid said Ekushey Padak-winning Buddhist Sangha Nayak Shuddhananda Mahathero played an important role in establishing peace and harmony along with spreading the teachings of Lord Buddha.

He prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved members of his family.

President Abdul Hamid urged his Uruguayan counterpart Luis Lacalle Pou to encourage his country’s entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh’s potent  sectors such as energy, ICT and infrastructure.

The President said this at bilateral talks held at the Presidential Palace in Montevideo on Monday noon.

President Press Secretary Joynal Abedin briefed the reporters after the meeting.

He said quoting the President that Bangladesh in the meantime set up 100 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) with the necessary opportunities for investment, where the foreign investors can invest there.

Congratulating the new President of Uruguay, Hamid said Bangladesh always gives priority to develop the bilateral as well as multilateral relationship among all countries across the world.

During the discussion on various bilateral issues between the two states, the President gave a salient feature of socio-economic development of Bangladesh, which has meantime attained a developing country status.

He told his host that Bangladesh produces world-class readymade garments (RMG), medicine and ceramic as well.

Stressing on the visit-exchange between the parliament members or public representatives and mass people of Bangladesh and Uruguay to utilize the potentials of the two countries, President Hamid called upon the Uruguayan Government to make obtaining the VISA easier for the diplomatic and official passport holders.

Mentioning the trained manpower of Bangladesh, he said they can play a very positive role in the development of Uruguay.

He also invited his Uruguayan counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a suitable time.

President Luis Pou expressed his gratitude to his Bangladeshi counterpart Hamid for joining his Presidential Command Transfer Ceremony and also expressed his positive attitude to invest in Bangladesh in the future.

Luis Pou reiterated his necessary supports in coming days on the Rohingya issue and hoped that relations between Montevideo and Dhaka in different fields would be expanded in future.

Uruguay President is very keen to sign a free trade deal between MERCOSUR and Bangladesh to enhance the bilateral and regional commerce.

MERCOSUR is an economic and political bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

During the meeting, Bangladesh Ambassador to Uruguay Md Julfikar Rahman and President’s Secretary Sampad Barua accompanied Abdul Hamid.

The President joined the state ceremony at Montevideo where Uruguay’s newly elected president Luis Lacalle Pou of the National Party (PN) was sworn in on Sunday noon (Uruguay time) as President for the period of 2020-2025.

President Abdul Hamid attended Uruguay’s Presidential Command Transfer Ceremony held at the Legislative Palace in Montevideo on Sunday noon (Uruguay’s time).

The President joined the state ceremony where Luis Lacalle Pou of the National Party was sworn-in as President for the period of 2020-2025, said a Bangabhaban spokesman.

Heads of states as well as governments and representatives of different countries attended the ceremony.

President Hamid is now on 11-day visit to Uruguay and London.

On his return from Uruguay, the President is scheduled to have some private programmes in London on March 5-6, according to the foreign ministry.

President’s spouse Rashida Khanam and secretaries concerned to the Bangabhaban are accompanying Abdul Hamid in the tour.

Earlier, he left Dhaka early Wednesday on an 11-day tour to Uruguay and London. Abdul Hamid is expected to return home on March 7.

Dhaka, Nov 1 (UNB) - President Abdul Hamid on Thursday asked the Election Commission and others concerned to continue their relentless efforts to hold the 11th parliamentary elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner.

The President came up with the directives when a six-member EC delegation, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda, met him at Bangabhaban.

“At the meeting, the EC apprised the President of its overall preparations for the next general election. It also informed the President about the demarcation of 300 constituencies and preparation of voter list with and without photographs," President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB after the meeting.

Abdul Hamid advised the EC and others concerned to avoid all sorts of controversies in election activities, he said.

The President directed the EC to play a more active role in preventing the abuse of technologies during the election time, saying it hampers any good work.     

Election commissioners Mahbub Talukdar, Md Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam and Brigadier General (retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed and secretaries concerned to the President were present at the meeting.

After the meeting, the CEC said a meeting on fixing the schedule for the upcoming national election will be held on Sunday (Nov 4).

“There has been no decision yet. President Abdul Hamid has been apprised of the election preparations. The EC will sit in a meeting on November 4 for taking the decision over the election schedule,” he told reporters emerging from Bangabhaban.

According to the Constitution, the EC is bound to hold the general election within 90 days before the expiry of this Jatiya Sangsad. 

The EC is planning to hold the election in the middle of December after announcing the schedule at the beginning of November.