The first session of the 13th National Parliament began on Thursday at the summons of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, with the presence of several VIP guests. The session commenced at 11am.
Members from both the ruling and opposition parties were present in the house and could be seen entering the Parliament building from early morning.
The proceedings opened with a speech by the Leader of the House and Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman.
He later nominated Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain as the chairman of the session.
Under his chairmanship, the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker was successfully completed.
BNP Standing Committee member and MP Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad was elected Speaker of the National Parliament.
For the position of deputy speaker, the chairperson stated that only one nomination had been received, that of MP and state minister for land, Kayser Kamal.
The opening session also saw the presence of the President, Prime Minister, parliamentarians, foreign diplomats, leaders of various political parties, and other distinguished guests.
Among those seated in the gallery were former interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s mother-in-law Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu, wife Zubaida Rahman, daughter Zaima Rahman, Tarique Rahman’s late brother Arafat Rahman Koko’s wife Sharmila Rahman, as well as the chiefs of the Navy and Air Force, alongside other VIPs.
The presence of these dignitaries underscored the ceremonial importance of the first session of the newly convened parliament.
