The 13th Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday elected BNP Standing Committee member and MP Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad as the new speaker during the first sitting of the newly formed parliament.
Veteran lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain presided over the sitting with the unanimous consent of members in the absence of the speaker and deputy speaker of the 12th parliament.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman entered the chamber at 10:55am and was welcomed by lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches by thumping their desks.
It was the first time he attended the opening session of parliament as a member of the House.
With the speaker’s post vacant, proceedings initially continued under Mosharraf’s supervision.
Tarique Rahman later proposed Mosharraf’s name to preside over the sitting and conduct the proceedings.
After taking the chair, Mosharraf informed the House that only one nomination had been submitted for the position of speaker Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, a senior BNP leader and member of parliament.
Mosharraf said the nominee had agreed to assume the responsibility and invited MP Nurul Islam to place the proposal before the House.
Nurul Islam formally moved the motion, which was seconded by MP Rakibul Islam.
The motion was then put to vote and adopted unanimously by the House.
Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, a six-time elected lawmaker, currently represents the Bhola-3 constituency.
The 13th parliament convened around 20 months after the formation of the interim government that followed the July Uprising in 2024.
According to the day’s agenda, the House is scheduled to elect a deputy speaker, place 133 ordinances before parliament and hear the president’s address.
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