MPs swear in, ALPP elects Hasina leader of the House
Lawmakers-elect of the January 7 national election took oath at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban yesterday.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the swearing in around 11:00am after she herself took the oath.
Awami League MPs-elect took oath first, then the independents, and lawmakers of Jatiyo Party.
The constitution mandates MP elects swear in within three days of the publication of the election results.
The gazette notification on the election results was published on Tuesday. Two hundred and ninety eight were declared elected members of parliament.
Immediately after taking the oath, the AL Parliamentary Party (ALPP) held an hour-long meeting around noon at the Jatiya Sangsad with party president Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Hasina was unanimously elected the leader of the ALPP for the fourth time in a row, which means she would be the prime minister for the fourth consecutive term.
AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader proposed the name of Hasina as the leader of the House which was seconded by Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury Liton, AL MP Tanvir Shakil Joy, who was present at the meeting, told The Daily Star.
AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury was re-elected deputy leader of the ALPP while Shirin was chosen as the Speaker of parliament again.
The meeting also decided to nominate Shamsul Haque Tuku as the deputy speaker of JS again.
Liton will retain the post of the chief whip in 12th parliament, the meeting decided.
Addressing the meeting, Hasina told her party's newly elected MPs that their highest priority should be the welfare of the people.
"Every MP will have to work for the people in their respective constituencies. You [MPs] will have to ensure that balanced development is done in your areas," Tanvir quoted Hasina as saying.
She also warned MPs that conspiracies were still being hatched against the country.
Hasina called on President Mohammed Shahabuddin at the Bangabhaban in the evening and requested him to invite her to form a government as she gained the confidence of the majority of the members in parliament.
The AL won 222 seats while independents, mostly AL leaders, won 62. Jatiyo Party won 11 while the Workers Party, JSD and Bangladesh Kalyan Party got one seat each.
The election to Naogaon-2 has been rescheduled for February 12 after the death of an independent candidate.
The EC cancelled the polling at a station in Mymensingh-3 which left the seat too close to call.
Comments