A total of 283 MPs, who were elected in the 10th parliamentary polls have taken oath on Thursday, amid allegations from the BNP claiming that the government has been violating the constitution in keeping two parliaments alive simultaneously.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury started administering oath to the newly elected MPs at 10:10am, as the Election Commission published the gazette Wednesday.
In accordance with parliamentary practices, the MPs from the Awami League were the first to take oath in the oath-room of the Jatiya Sangsad. The Jatiya Party MPs took oath after a short tea break, the speaker told the Dhaka Tribune.
She said: " A total of 283 MPs took oath toady."
However, any information regarding the oath taking of six lawmakers, who were not present in today's event, could not be known immediately.
Sheikh Hasina has vacated the Rangpur 6 seat to represent the seat in Gopalganj 3. Meanwhile, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad did not join the ceremony. However, his party members joined the event under the leadership of Rawshan Ershad, who was set to be the leader of the opposition.
On the other hand, after the oath taking of the new MPs, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia lost her support from the parliament secretariate and the government as the leader of the opposition, which is equivalent to the rank of a minister. Her party is no longer the main opposition party.
The gazette says the other MPs comprise of 33 members of the Jatiya Party (Ershad), six from the Workers Party, five from the Jatiya Samajtatrik Dal, 14 independent candidates, and one candidate each from the Jatiya Party (Manju), Tariqat Federation and Bangladesh Nationalist Front.
Sk Afil Uddin (Jessore 1) and Monirul Islam (Jessore 2) did not appear on the gazette, as the Election Commission has been investigating allegations of electoral code of conduct violations by the two Awami League candidates.
If the allegations prove to be true, their nomination papers may be cancelled, EC officials have said.
The gazette also omitted the names of eight constituencies where the Election Commission has announced re-elections, as violence in the areas had disrupted polls.
BNP along with other opposition parties that did not participated in the polls have claimed that the article 123 (3) (b) of the constitution debars the MPs of a new parliament from “assuming office” without the expiration of the stipulated five years of the previous parliament.
According to the allegations, the MPs cannot take oath before January 24, when the current ninth parliament will expire after five years.
The government had not dissolved the ninth parliament till filing of the report at 8pm Wednesday.
“I do not know whether the government will dissolve parliament. According to the constitution, the speaker is not the authority to dissolve parliament,” Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury told the Dhaka Tribune at her office on Wednesday.
The speaker said it was a question whether the words “assuming the office” and “taking oath” could be interpreted differently.
According to the constitution, the president must convene parliament in 30 days after oath taking.
The 10th parliament will start its journey after termination of the ninth parliament on January 24.
The current ninth parliament started its term on January 25, 2009 and is set to end on January 24, 2014, according to the constitution.
The debate over the timing of the 10th parliament's taking office arises as a result of the reinsertion of an article which the original 1972 constitution contained.
The article stipulates that the general elections may be held 90 days before the expiry of the previous parliament.
In line with the article, the Election Commission arranged the 10th national polls on January 5, without dissolution of the ninth parliament.