Star Online Report
The newly-elected 283 lawmakers of the 10th parliament took the oath of office this morning.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Choudhury administered the oath to the newly elected MPs of the ruling Awami League including party chief Sheikh Hasina at the Jatiya Sangsad around 10:20am. The lone lawmaker from Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) also took oath with the AL MPs.
The swearing in ceremony was held when a debate is going on whether the constitution allows the newly elected lawmakers to take oath with the current parliament still in existence.
The MPs-elect from HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party took oath in second phase without their party chief, reports our correspondent covering the event. Another JP leader Nasim Osman did not turn up to the swearing in ceremony.
After the JP, the MPs-elect from Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Bangladesh Tariqat Federation and Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF), and independent candidates were sworn in in phases.
A total of 292 lawmakers elected in the January 5 election.
The voting was held in 147 constituencies as the rest 153 constituencies went uncontested in the 10th parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, the unofficial results of the election to eight constituencies out of the country’s 300 have not been announced yet as the re-voting in 392 polling centres of the eight constituencies will be held on January 16.
The eight constituencies are Dinajpur-4, Kurigram-4, Gaibandha-1, 3 and 4, Bogra-7, Jessore-5 and Laxmipur-1.
On Wednesday, the Election Commission published the results of 290 constituencies of the elections through a gazette notification.
However, the results of two winning candidates– Sheikh Afiluddin of Jessore-1 and Monirul Islam of Jessore-2 — were not published as the EC had issued show-cause notices against them for violation of the election code of conduct.
According to the constitution, the newly elected members of parliament will be obliged to take oath within three days after the publication of gazette of the election results.
Meanwhile, AL President Sheikh Hasina gave up one of her two seats — Rangpur-6 — and sent a letter to the EC yesterday, urging it to hold a by-election there.
The total number of lawmakers will stand at 638 after the MPs-elect are sworn in.
The AL has already secured 232 seats in the 300-member parliament.
Source: The Daily Star
