Dhaka: Bangladesh’s newly elected lawmakers were sworn-in on Thursday, four days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League bagged a three-fourth majority in the contentious polls, marred by violence and opposition boycott.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury administered the oath of office of the new members of parliament in phases, with Prime Minister Hasina leading lawmakers during the ceremony. Chaudhury then handed flowers to Prime Minister Hasina dressed in a golden saree. 66-year-old Hasina is likely to form her new government on Sunday.
The lawmakers of the AL’s ally Jatiya Party of former president HM Ershad took the oath under the leadership of his wife and newly elected MP Raushan Ershad, fuelling speculation about a rift between the couple. Ershad, who had declined to take part in the elections, too was elected. In a dramatic episode, Ershad was brought to a military hospital for “treatment” weeks ahead of the polls and the election commission declined to accept his prayers reportedly sent from the facility seeking to withdraw his candidature.
The mass circulation Prothom Alo said Ershad set four conditions for joining the parliament as he was still being “treated” at the military hospital and playing golf everyday at a nearby golf course “to recover his health” reportedly in line with doctors advice. According to the report, Ershad demanded quick disposal of pending graft cases against him; appointment of the party leaders, who refrained from contesting the polls in line with his directives, at different state-owned organisations; getting his brother GM Quader elected through a byelection; and making none of the party MPs as ministers.
Raushan earlier appeared to have developed a dispute with her husband on the question of participating in the polls but at a press conference last night she said Ershad advised her to appear as the leader of the opposition in parliament. Raushan, however, said their Jatiya Party, visibly divided in two camps with one lining up behind her and another behind her husband, was yet to decide if it should join the government.
The oath ceremony came amid BNP allegation that the government violated the constitution by keeping two parliaments alive simultaneously as the tenure of the past parliament would expire on January 24. But a section of legal experts said there was no constitutional bar for the MPs-elect to taking the oath ahead of the expiry of the tenure of the past parliament. (PTI)
