Despite his removal from the cabinet and the party’s presidium, Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddique will continue to be a member of the parliament, said Election Commission officials yesterday.
Commission officials told the Dhaka Tribune the former posts, telecommunications and information technology minister would retain his House membership in accordance with the constitution although he was removed both from the cabinet and the presidium.
A circular announcing Latif’s removal from the cabinet was issued yesterday. Later in the day, the Awami League Central Working Committee removed him from the presidium and also suspended his primary membership of the party.
After Latif’s removal from the party and the cabinet, he will become an independent parliamentarian, EC officials said.
According to the constitution, the House membership of a person, elected as a member of the parliament through an election in which he was nominated as a candidate by a political party, will be announced vacant if he resigns from the party or votes in the parliament against the party.
Jatiya Party lawmaker Golam Reza was earlier removed from the party, but he retained his position in the ninth parliament.
Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz said the seat of an MP would not fall vacant as per the constitution even if he was removed from his party.
If the MP loses his party’s primary membership, he will become an independent lawmaker in the parliament, he added.
While addressing a programme in the US on September 28, Latif made derogatory remarks on Hajj, Tablighi Jamaat and the prime minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
