Tarique Rahman. File
| Photograph Credit score: AP
Bangladesh’s Parliament convened on Thursday (March 12, 2026) for the primary time since a lethal 2024 rebellion plunged the nation into political turmoil and following elections final month.
The federal government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Celebration (BNP), took over after February 12 elections from the interim administration that had led the nation of 170 million individuals since August 2024.
“After greater than a decade and a half of fascist and subservient rule, the actions of Parliament are starting right this moment with representatives elected by the individuals,” Mr. Rahman informed Parliament.
“The BNP needs to construct a affluent, secure and democratic nation,” he added, calling on all lawmakers, no matter their political views, to work collectively.
Mr. Rahman blamed the toppled authorities of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League occasion for undermining the earlier Parliament.
Sheikh Hasina, 78, who has been sentenced in absentia to dying for crimes in opposition to humanity, is in self-imposed exile in India.
“The fallen dictatorship made Parliament dysfunctional, as an alternative of constructing it the centre of all nationwide actions,” Mr. Rahman mentioned, promising it could change underneath his watch.
“We are going to make Parliament the centre of all debates and arguments aimed toward resolving the nation’s issues.”
They embody tackling a sluggish economic system, restoring stability and reviving progress after months of turmoil that rattled investor confidence and strained state funds.
The world’s second largest garment exporter, closely depending on fossil gasoline imports, has additionally been hit onerous by an oil worth spike brought on by the conflict within the Center East. Mr. Rahman’s enchantment for unity is a bid to heal rifts in a rustic polarised by years of bitter rivalry.
A brand new speaker, Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, and his Deputy, Kayser Kamal, had been elected to workplace. Each are members of the BNP. The Parliament constructing was looted in the course of the August 2024 rebellion in opposition to Ms. Hasina, however has since been repaired. The BNP-led alliance secured 212 seats, whereas the BNP alone received 209 seats.
The chief of the Opposition is Shafiqur Rahman, who heads the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance with 76 seats, with Jamaat alone holding 68.
Printed – March 12, 2026 02:07 pm IST