By-elections to seats left vacant, after 5 BNP MPs resigned, will be held within 90 days as per the constitution.
The Election Commission announced its decision on Sunday hours after the BNP lawmakers submitted their resignation letters to the National Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at her office in the National Parliament the same day. The Speaker in the National Parliament also announced those seats as vacant.
“As five BNP members of the parliament submitted their resignation letters in person on Sunday, their seats are now vacant,” said Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
“I have received resignation letters from five BNP MPs. Among the remaining two, one is unwell and another is abroad. There is no constitutional obligation to submitting resignation letters in person. Now the Parliament Secretariat will scrutinize the letters of the two MPs and decide on them later,” she told reporters at her office at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Earlier in the morning on Sunday, five of the seven BNP lawmakers have submitted their resignation letters to the Speaker. They went to the parliament around 11:00am and handed in their resignation.
They are Md Zahidur Rahman of Thakurgaon-3; Md Mosharof Hosen of Bogura-4; Gulam Mohammad Siraj of Bogura-6; Md Aminul Islam of Chapainawabganj-2 and Rumeen Farhana, lawmaker from a seat reserved for women.
The other two BNP lawmakers-- Md Harunur Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3, and Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan of Brahmanbaria-2 – will submit their resignation in person later, BNP MP Siraj told reporters.
Rashid is now abroad while Sattar is ill. However, they have already emailed to the Speaker informing her about their resignation letters, Rumeen Farhana told at a rally of the BNP held on Saturday in capital’s Golapbagh playground.
Earlier during the rally programme, the BNP announced the resignation of its MPs as per the party's standing committee decision.
"All seven lawmakers have emailed their resignation letters to the Speaker of the House. As parliament is closed on Saturday, we will submit our resignations in person tomorrow (Sunday)," Rumeen said at the rally.
Addressing the development, Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said, "They [the BNP MPs] have submitted total seven resignation letters.
"I have accepted five, of those who were present in-person today. Their respective constituencies have now become vacant. I will scrutinize the application."
"I will scrutinize the submission of other two lawmakers [who could not be present at the Parliament] and make a decision in this regard," she told reporters.
About BNP MP Harunur Rashid’s resignation, the Speaker said that he will have to send his resignation letter again due to some technicalities.
“Harun has resigned through email and his signature was included in the letter through scanning, which is unacceptable. He’ll have to sign the letter by himself and send it again,” Shirin said.
The Speaker added that the Parliament Secretariat will soon issue a notification declaring the seats of the MPs who resigned as vacant.
According to the constitution of Bangladesh, after a parliament seat gets empty, by-elections have to be held for that seat within 90 days of being declared empty.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said on Sunday that elections to seats left vacant, after 5 BNP MPs resigned, will be held within 90 days as per the constitution.
He came up with the remark while speaking with journalists at his office in Election Commission Bhaban in Dhaka, after news of resignation of five BNP MPs emerged.
“We are yet to get a gazette of the vacant seats. If they (BNP MPs) truly resigned, the election to vacant seats will be held within 90 days,” he said, adding that the gazette will be circulated after the Speaker or Deputy Speaker receives the resignation letters.
EC Commissioner Alamgir said there is a constitutional obligation to holding elections for the vacant seats within 90 days after seats get vacated.
Asked about the resignation of the BNP MPs, he said that they saw the matter as normal and an MP can resign.
“It is narrated in the constitution, how the resignation can go, here the EC has nothing to gain or lose,” he said.
On the other hand, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the parliament will not be paralysed if seven BNP lawmakers resign.
"We have many lawmakers. The parliament has more than 45 opposition MPs too. So, there is no reason to consider that the Jatiya Sangsad will be paralysed if seven of you are not attending," he said while addressing an AL rally at the Radio Colony School and College ground in Savar on Saturday.
It should be mentioned that BNP has put forward a 10-point charter of demand including the resignation of the current Awami League government.
The party also sought immediate steps to dissolve the parliament, announced BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain while speaking at the party's final divisional rally at Golapbagh.
Their demands also include forming neutral caretaker government that must form a neutral Election Commission, which will ensure a level-playing field for all parties.
