Following a significant victory in the 13th parliamentary election, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is gearing up to take charge, with its elected members of Parliament swearing in at the National Parliament in Dhaka. The oath ceremony, overseen by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, took place at the South Plaza as per the country’s Constitution, given the vacant positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker from the previous Parliament. Parliament Secretariat Secretary Kaniz Moula conducted the swearing-in process.
BNP MPs refrained from taking the oath as members of the Constitution Reform Council, as reported by The Daily Star. BNP leader Salauddin Ahmed mentioned that the party’s decision, guided by party chief Tarique Rahman, was based on the fact that the MPs were not elected to the council. He emphasized the need for the council to be officially integrated into the Constitution through a referendum, outlining the necessity for clear procedures and guidelines for administering oaths to council members.
In the recent elections, BNP secured 209 parliamentary seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats. BNP’s chairman Tarique, elected from two constituencies, opted for the Dhaka-17 seat after vacating Bogura-6 for a by-election. On the other hand, reports from Prothom Alo indicate that MPs from the 11-party alliance, including Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party, are contemplating abstaining from taking their oaths in response to BNP’s stance on the constitutional reform council oath.
