President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Thursday administered the oath of office to newly elected speaker Maj Gen (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and his deputy Barrister Kayser Kamal at the opening session of the 13th national parliament.

The session began at 11 am with senior BNP lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain presiding as acting speaker. He was appointed to the role on a motion proposed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Mosharraf Hossain later announced the names of the new presiding officers following their unopposed election.

Maj Gen (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed was first elected speaker by a voice vote. Immediately afterwards, he resigned as minister for liberation war affairs. Barrister Kaysar Kamal was subsequently elected deputy speaker through the same process, with Mosharraf Hossain putting forward his name.

Kamal, who represents the Netrokona-1 constituency, also stepped down from his position as land minister following his new appointment.

The first session marked a break from parliamentary convention. Typically, the outgoing speaker or deputy presides over the initial sitting of a new parliament until replacements are elected. However, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who held the speaker post in the 12th parliament, resigned in September 2024 and has not been seen publicly since. Former deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku is currently in jail after being arrested in a murder case.