BNP Standing Committee member and veteran parliamentarian Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram has been elected Speaker of the 13th parliament, while State Minister for Land Kayser Kamal became Deputy Speaker.
Members of parliament elected them during the inaugural sitting of the new parliament on Thursday.
The session began at 11am, with senior lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain presiding over the House by unanimous consent.
Under parliamentary rules, the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker takes place at the start of the first sitting.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed Hafiz Uddin for Speaker, and Whip Rakibul Islam supported the proposal. With no other nominations, he was elected by voice vote.
Whip Ruhul Quddus Talukder later proposed the name of Kayser Kamal for Deputy Speaker, with Whip ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan seconding the proposal. With no rival candidate, Kayser was elected unopposed.
The House was then adjourned for 30 minutes, during which President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker at the President’s office inside the parliament complex.
Veteran parliamentarian
Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, a seven-time lawmaker from the Bhola-3 constituency, holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Dhaka.
His father, physician Azhar Uddin Ahmed, served as a member of the then legislative assembly.
Before entering politics, Hafiz Uddin served in the army.
During the Liberation War in 1971, while serving in the First East Bengal Regiment at Jashore Cantonment, he led soldiers of his battalion in rebellion and joined frontline fighting to liberate the cantonment.
Later, under the command of Major Ziaur Rahman in the Z Force, he served as commander of Bravo Company and displayed bravery in the Kamalpur and Dhalai BOP attacks.
For his role in the Liberation War, he was awarded the gallantry title Bir Bikram.
Hafiz Uddin first entered parliament as an independent candidate in 1991 and joined BNP the following year.
Before becoming Speaker, he served as a member of the BNP National Standing Committee.
He was appointed State Minister for Commerce in 1996 and later served as minister for water resources, commerce and jute in 2001.
Hafiz Uddin also gained national recognition as a footballer.
Between 1967 and 1971 he represented the Pakistan national football team and toured Iran, Turkey and Myanmar.
He captained the national side at the RCD tournament in Tehran in 1970.
In 2005, FIFA awarded him the “Centenary Order of Merit”, recognising him as Bangladesh’s best footballer of the twentieth century.
He played for Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting for 12 years and captained the club in 1976.
He was also the fastest athlete in East Pakistan in the 100 and 200 metre races at provincial competitions between 1964 and 1966.
After taking oath, Hafiz Uddin returned to the chamber and resumed the sitting at around 1:30pm as Speaker.
Delivering his first remarks from the chair, he said, “Bangladesh first — this should be our guiding principle.”
He said the people are the ultimate guardians of democracy and parliament represents the country’s democratic aspirations.
A decorated freedom fighter, Hafiz Uddin recalled the 1971 Liberation War and paid tribute to those who fought for the country’s independence.
He also referred to Bangladesh’s history of popular resistance against authoritarian rule.
“Authoritarian rulers have appeared in this country at different times, but the people of Bangladesh have resisted them,” he said.
“Through the July Uprising, the fascist government was removed.”
The Speaker also paid tribute to those killed during the July uprising, mentioning Abu Sayed, Mir Mugdha and Wasim.
He said people across the country were eager to see parliament functioning effectively and expressed hope that both the government and opposition would work together in the national interest.
From lawyer to Deputy Speaker
Kayser Kamal, elected from the Netrokona-1 constituency (Kalmakanda–Durgapur), became Deputy Speaker after serving as state minister for land.
Before entering parliament, he served as BNP legal affairs secretary and secretary general of the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum.
He won the Netrokona-1 seat in the national election held on 13 February 2026 and took oath as state minister for land on 17 February.
Kayser obtained a Barrister-at-Law degree from Lincoln’s Inn in the United Kingdom. He also holds an LLB from the University of Wolverhampton and a master’s degree from the University of Dhaka.
After returning to Bangladesh, he began his legal career at the Supreme Court.
