13th parliament’s maiden session likely in mid-March

The 13th parliament is likely to go into its maiden session in the second week of March, said sources in the Parliament Secretariat. 
President Mohammed Shahabuddin will convene the session by exercising the power bestowed upon him as per Article 72 (1) of the Constitution.
As Speaker of the 12th Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned following the downfall of the Awami League regime and she is now at large, and Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is now in jail, a senior lawmaker will preside over the first sitting.
However, it is uncertain who will preside over the first day’s sitting. Although the rules of procedure of the parliament don’t have clear instructions in this regard, there is a precedent in the past of electing the speaker by giving the responsibility to a senior member.
As per Article 72(2) of the Constitution, the first session of a new parliament must be summoned within 30 days of the official gazette notification of the general election results.
The gazette for results of the 13th parliamentary polls was published on 14 February and the newly elected members of parliament (MPs) took their oaths on 17 February. Accordingly, the first session must take place by 16 March.
Since Eid-ul-Fitr will be held on 18 or 19 March, the session will be convened earlier so that MPs can participate in the discussions on the president’s address in the first session before Eid.
As per the constitution, the president gives a speech in the first session of the year and the first session following an election. So, President Mohammed Shahabuddin will address the maiden session. The MPs will discuss the speech throughout the session.
While the president formally calls the session, it is done on the written advice of the prime minister, with the date and time determined by presidential order.
To discuss issues related to the first session, a meeting was held among the officials of the Parliament Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office and a preliminary decision was made to start the session on 26 February, according to sources in the Parliament Secretariat. Later, on Saturday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told the media that the parliament session might begin in the second week of March.
Immediately after the House goes into its maiden sitting, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be elected and sworn in by the president.
The new speaker will then preside over the session. With a clear majority, the BNP nominee will be the next speaker.
After the election of the speaker and deputy speaker, the presidium nominations and condolence motions will be accepted and later the day’s proceedings will end with the president’s address.
The Business Advisory Committee of the new parliament will also be formed at the first sitting, with the new speaker as its head. The committee will decide the tenure of the inaugural session and other business of parliament.
Meanwhile, the ruling party’s parliamentary party has elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as the leader of the parliament. However, the speaker, deputy leader and chief whip have not been determined yet. On the other hand, the opposition alliance’s parliamentary party has already nominated the opposition leader, deputy leader and chief whip.
According to the July Charter and the ruling party’s election pledge, this time the deputy speaker is supposed to be from the opposition party.
The main task of the treasury bench at the first sitting will be to place those ordinances before the House which the government wants to turn into law. The interim government promulgated or amended a total of 130 ordinances during its 18 months in office.
The standing committees on different ministries are likely to be formed during the first session. At the first sitting, the House will also adopt an obituary motion.
The 13th national parliament was formed following the general elections held on 12 February, in which the BNP-led alliance secured 212 seats and the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance bagged 77 seats.
Voting took place in 299 out of 300 seats and the results of 297 have been declared. Islami Andolan Bangladesh won one seat and seven independent members were elected, all of whom are rebel candidates of the BNP.
This will be the first parliamentary session after the July Mass Uprising which brought in the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime on 5 August 2024.
The 12th parliament was formed following the controversial name-only 2024 elections and President Mohammed Shahabuddin had dissolved the parliament on 6 August 2024, about six months after that parliament was formed on 30 January 2024.
BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and several other political parties boycotted the 2024 elections held under the Awami League regime.
Alongside the 12th parliament, the 11th parliament formed following the 2018 elections and the 10th parliament formed following the one-sided 2014 elections were neither genuine nor competitive. Against this backdrop, the 13th parliament is going to become a vibrant house after a long time.
The 12 February election was one of the most consequential elections in the history of the country as it marked a return to democratic rule.

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