B Mirror Report: The first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 11:00am, according to an official release issued by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat.
Earlier on February 23, President Mohammad Shahabuddin summoned the session to be held on March 12. The president, who is also the head of state, convened the session exercising his authority under Article 72(1) of the Constitution, the release added.
Before the formal proceedings of the House begin, the Parliamentary Business Advisory Committee is expected to meet to determine the duration and agenda of the session.
During the first sitting, the treasury bench is likely to place several ordinances before the House that the government intends to convert into laws. The interim government had issued or amended a total of 130 ordinances during its 18-month tenure.
According to the Constitution, the president must call the first session of a newly elected parliament within 30 days of the publication of the official gazette containing the results of the parliamentary elections. The gazette notification of the MPs elected in the February 12 election to the 13th parliament was published on February 13.
Meanwhile, Tarique Rahman has already been elected as the Leader of the House in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, while Shafiqur Rahman will serve as the Leader of the Opposition.
As former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned from her position, a senior BNP leader is expected to preside over the opening sitting of parliament, an official of the parliament secretariat said.
Soon after the House begins its maiden sitting, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be elected and later sworn in by the president. Following their election, the session is likely to be adjourned for around 15 to 20 minutes to complete the oath-taking ceremony. The newly elected Speaker will then take the chair and preside over the session.
The Business Advisory Committee of the new parliament will also be formed at the first sitting with the Speaker as its head. The committee will decide the duration of the inaugural session and set the parliamentary agenda. Standing committees on different ministries are also likely to be constituted during this session.
President Shahabuddin is expected to deliver his address at the opening sitting in accordance with the Constitution. The cabinet will approve the speech beforehand, and members of parliament will later hold discussions on the president’s address.
An obituary motion will also be adopted during the first sitting of the House.
The current parliament was formed following the February 12 national election in which the BNP-led alliance secured 212 seats, with the BNP alone winning 209 seats. The Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance obtained 76 seats, including 68 seats won by Jamaat.
