Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League will dominate the 11th parliament with the second-highest volume of lawmakers since the first parliament began in 1973.
Bangladesh, which secured its independence with a nine-month-long war, has so far witnessed 11 editions of parliamentary elections; where voters elect their public representatives to run the country.
In the first parliament formed on March 7, 1973, Awami League went to parliament with 293 seats under its party symbol, the boat.
In the 11th parliamentary election, which was held on December 30, 2018, ruling party candidates secured a landslide victory with 257 seats; the second highest in number since the first parliament began.
Awami League is going to form the new government for the third successive term under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the party president.
Bangladesh parliament at a glance
Parliament | Election date | Voters (in millions) | Awami League | BNP | JaPa | Jamaat |
1st | March 7, 1973 | 35.21 | 293 | --- | --- | Banned |
2nd | February 18, 1979 | 38.36 | 39 | 207 | --- | 06 |
3rd | May 7, 1986 | 47.31 | 76 | Did not participated | 153 | 10 |
4th | March 3, 1988 | 49.86 | Did not participated | Did not participated | 250 | Did not participate |
5th | February 27, 1991 | 62.18 | 88 | 140 | 35 | 18 |
6th | February 15, 1996 | 56.12 | Did not participate | 250 | Did not participate | Did not participate |
7th | June 12, 1996 | 56.72 | 146 | 116 | 32 | 03 |
8th | October 1, 2001 | 75.00 | 62 | 193 | 14 | 17 |
9th | December 29, 2008 | 81.13 | 230 | 30 | 27 | 02 |
10th | January 5, 2014 | 91.97 | 234 | Did not participate | 34 | Did not participate |
11th | December 30, 2018 | 104.2 | 257 | 05 | 22 | --- |
The parliament Secretariat has made all the necessary preparations for the oath-taking ceremony of the 298 newly-elected lawmakers, for the 11th parliament, to be held on Thursday.
A total of 22 candidates from former military dictator HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party; two each from Awami League-led Grand Alliance members Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal; three from the Workers Party of Bangladesh; one, each, from Tariqat Federation and Anwar Hossain Manju-led Jatiya Party; among others, were invited to take the oath as lawmakers.
Among the opposition, five from BNP, two from Gono Forum, and three independent candidates have also been invited to take the oath at the ceremony scheduled at 11am in the parliament on Thursday.
The BNP and Gono Forum members are yet to decide on whether they will take the oath as they have already rejected the election results, citing irregularities.
