Retired Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed will administer the oath to the Members of Parliament elected in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. He has been nominated as the President’s representative for this purpose. Reliable sources at Bangabhaban confirmed that he has already been officially appointed.
Earlier, on February 5, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul had indicated this possibility. He explained that since there is currently no Speaker from the previous parliament, a special legal arrangement would be required for administering the oath to the members of the 13th National Parliament.
Typically, elected MPs take their oath before the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of Parliament. However, due to the circumstances following the mass uprising of 2024, this standard procedure is not being followed. Instead, the newly elected MPs may take their oath before a person nominated by the President, in consultation with the Chief Adviser.
Following the mass uprising, the Speaker of the 12th National Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, resigned in September 2024. Earlier in August, Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku was arrested and has since been convicted. This situation created confusion over who would administer the oath to the newly elected MPs.
According to the Law Adviser, under the current Constitution, newly elected MPs are to be sworn in by the Speaker, or in the Speaker’s absence, by the Deputy Speaker. If neither is available, alternative provisions exist. In this case, one is missing and the other is imprisoned. Both also face serious legal cases, and the Speaker has formally resigned. Therefore, it is not considered legally feasible for them to administer the oath.
The law provides that if the Speaker or Deputy Speaker cannot administer the oath, a person nominated by the President—upon the advice of the Chief Adviser—may do so. Additionally, if the oath is not administered within three days, the Chief Election Commissioner is authorized to administer it.
Meanwhile, a source related to the interim government indicated that the oath-taking ceremony for MPs may take place on Sunday, February 15, at the National Parliament building. The new cabinet is expected to be sworn in at Bangabhaban on Monday or Tuesday. After the MPs are sworn in, the President is expected to invite the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has secured the majority of seats, to form the government, in accordance with constitutional procedure.
