President Md. Sahabuddin has called the first session of the 13th National Parliament for March 12, with proceedings scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. The decision was made under the authority granted by Article 72(1) of the Constitution.

The information was announced on Monday through a press release from the Secretariat of the National Parliament.

Typically, the first session of a new parliament is lengthy. During its opening meeting, members elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, review ordinances issued by the interim government, present condolence motions, and listen to the President’s speech. Parliamentarians then discuss the contents of the presidential address throughout the session.

Following the August 5, 2024 uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government, the 13th National Parliament elections were held under the interim government on March 12 this year. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a two-thirds majority and formed the government. According to the Constitution, the new Parliament must convene within 30 days of announcing the general election results.

The first meeting of the new parliament is usually presided over by the outgoing Speaker or Deputy Speaker, during which the new Speaker is elected. However, it remains unclear who will preside this time. The Speaker of the 12th Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, resigned in September 2024 and has not appeared publicly since. Meanwhile, the outgoing Deputy Speaker, Shamsul Haque Tuku, is in prison facing a murder case. In this context, although the election results were officially gazetted three days ago, and the Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin administered the oath to the newly elected MPs last Tuesday, the presiding officer for the first session has not yet been finalized.