Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury is unlikely to be re-elected as she has been preparing to contest the upcoming by-election to Rangpur 6 seat, which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vacated, as the president convenes the first session of 10th parliament on January 29.
Rather she is likely to become the foreign minister as Hasina has not appointed any minister for the post. In response to the reporters’ query at the Bangabhaban, the premier on Sunday said her cabinet would get more female minister after the elections to the 50 women’s reserved seats.
According to the parliamentary rules, the first job of Shirin Sharmin on January 29 is to elect a new speaker as she has not been elected as a lawmaker. Unless she is elected from a reserved seat or through the by-poll before January 29, she must leave the speaker’s post.
The Awami League is set to hold the meeting of its parliamentary board today mainly to start the procedure of selling nomination papers for the posts, followed by interviews of the potential candidates on a next date.
Election Commission officials say they would announce the schedule for the elections to the women’s reserved seats after January 18. The by-election date is yet to be set.
As per the electoral rules, the by-election must take place by April 7 – as many as 90 days since the publication of the gazette on the results of the 10th parliamentary polls held on January 5.
“She [Shirin] is not going to be the speaker again. No female MP will become the speaker,” a top ranking leader of the Awami League told the Dhaka Tribune seeking anonymity.
Yesterday, the female MPs of the ninth parliament from AL came to congratulate Shirin Sharmin in advance for her decision to contest from the Rangpur 6 seat. Many of them also congratulated her as the would-be foreign minister.
A good number of AL leaders from the Rangpur 6 constituency yesterday came to visit Shirin Sharmin at her parliament office, assuring that the people of Pirganj were waiting eagerly to welcome her.
Safia Khatun MP, who was tasked to coordinate the development works in Pirganj constituency, saw Shirin Sharmin and assured her of giving possible support to get her elected in the by-poll.
HM Ershad, the Jatiya Party chairman, before taking oath as MP of the Rangpur 3 seat talked to the government high-ups demanding the Rangpur 6 seat to get his brother GM Quader elected in the by-poll.
“The prime minister informed us that she will nominate Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury for the Rangpur 6 by-election,” State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu, who was one of the JaPa leaders to meet Hasina on January 9, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Shirin Sharmin was elected speaker of the ninth parliament on April 30 last year, as her predecessor Abdul Hamid was elected president following the death of Zillur Rahman.
She earned confidence of all parties while running the House. The BNP, which was boycotting the sessions for about a year, returned to the House and cooperated fully with Shirin Sharmin.
Many MPs opposing her as speaker now want to see her reelected.
JS business
The first session of the 10th parliament will sit at 6pm on January 29. According to the constitution, the president will address the new legislature on the first day of the first session.
With a recess for some days, the House will resume its business holding discussion on the president’s speech.
The ninth parliament had its first meeting on January 25, 2009. The main opposition BNP had very poor presence in the last parliament. Out of the total 418 sittings, the highest presence of the BNP was 76 days. Party chief Khaleda Zia as the opposition leader was present on 10 days in five years.
