The newly elected 13th parliament convened on Thursday and swiftly appointed a senior lawmaker as the speaker for its opening session, clearing the way for legislative business after a symbolic start with the speaker’s chair left vacant.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman nominated Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain for the role at the morning session. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir seconded the motion, with Syed Mohammad Abdullah Taher, nayeb-e-ameer of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, offering support from the opposition benches.

Proceedings had begun shortly after 11:00 am with a recitation from the Quran, initially overseen by parliamentary secretary Kaniz Moula with the speaker’s chair empty. Hossain’s appointment regularises the chair for the duration of the inaugural session.

The assembly is now expected to turn to substantive business, including ratification of 133 ordinances issued by the now dissolved interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus. Lawmakers are also set to deliberate on the implementation of the “July Charter”, a document born from the student-led uprising that toppled the Awami league government in 2024.