President Md. Shahabuddin has thanked all concerned for the successful completion of the 12th parliamentary election overcoming various obstacles. Shahabuddin said the democratic system in the country has been strengthened further through this election. Its a victory of people of the country, a victory of democracy, he said.
President was addressing the first session of the 12th Parliament on Tuesday (January 30).
The President urged the political parties to stand beside the people with a liberal and constructive attitude.
"A quarter tried to obstruct the peaceful journey of democracy by creating violence and conflict centering the election. Their anti-democratic and violent activities temporarily kept people in a state of anxiety but could not stop voters from voting. All the steps of the government and the Election Commission have been successful due to the spontaneous and active participation of the common people," said the president.
He also said that the parties that boycotted the election carried out their political programs independently.
"I hope that in future, the political parties of the country will carry out constructive programs in non-violent way for establishing constitutional rights and welfare of the people and democracy, shunning the path of violence and anarchy."
The government will also behave restraint in this regard – this is the expectation of all, said president Md. Shahabuddin.
The parliament session began at 3:00pm with Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku in the chair. At the beginning, the Deputy Speaker welcomed everyone. Then Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was elected as the Speaker of the parliament for the fourth consecutive term.
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader proposed the name of Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury for the Speaker. Chief Whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury Liton supported the proposal. There was no other nomination for Speaker. Later, the appointment of the speaker was finalized by voice vote.
The Awami League, which has an absolute majority in this parliament, wants to play the role of the ruling party and the Jatiya Party wants to play the role of the opposition party with only 11 seats. Although the number of seats is less, Jatiya Party members have expressed interest in playing the role of an effective opposition party in parliament. However, independent MPs who won 62 seats are almost six times more than them.