Staff Reporter
The ninth parliament had a formal start yesterday unanimously electing Advocate Abdul Hamid Speaker and Col (retd) Shawkat Ali Deputy Speaker to preside over the House.
The Parliament elected Adv Hamid for the top office on a formal proposal from Chief Whip Abdus Shahid, seconded by Whip Shagufta Yasmin Emily.
The deputy speaker’s candidature was proposed by S.M. Firoz and seconded by Mojibul Huq.
There is likely to be a second Deputy Speaker from the Opposition ranks as per a proposal made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The parliament will have to amend the article 74 of the Constitution to create a second post.
Outgoing Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar conducted the elections just after the maiden session got off to a formal start.
Both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were elected by voice vote since there were no other candidates for the two posts.
Members of treasury and opposition benches greeted the new Speaker by thumping desks, marking a harmonious start of democratic functioning after the lapse of over two years under the emergency rule by a military-backed caretaker government.
Earlier, Awami League Parliamentary Party meeting presided over by Sheikh Hasina at Sangsad Bhaban endorsed the candidatures of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
The outgoing Speaker adjourned the House at 3.44pm to allow oath-taking of the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker by the President.
President Iajuddin Ahmed, who had arrived at the parliament building at around 2.30 pm, administered the oath at around 4.15pm at his seventh floor office.
Hamid had earlier been named by the Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) to be new Speaker and Ali to be his deputy.
After an ALPP meet ending just before the first sitting of the new parliament, Syed Ashraful Islam only confirmed widespread speculations about the two names.
“The ALPP has also recommended amending the Constitution to create a post of Deputy Speaker which will be given to the main opposition BNP,” he said.
For Speaker Hamid this is the second tenure. He was elected to the post in 1997 after the death of Humayun Rashid Chowdhury.
A lawyer by profession, Hamid has been involved with Awami League since the 1960s.
He was elected member of the Pakistan National Assembly in 1970 at the age of 25. He was elected deputy speaker of the 7th parliament when Awami League went into power in 1996.
After Speaker Humayun Rashid Chowdhury’s death, Hamid succeeded him.
Hamid was also elected MP in 1973, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2008 general elections on his party tickets.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
