By-polls at vacant parliament seats within 90-days of declaration: EC Alamgir
By-polls will be held in the parliament seats made vacant following the resignation of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) MPs within 90 of being declared so, said Election Commissioner Md Alamgir today.
"We have seen in the media that they have resigned. We haven't received any seat vacancy gazette yet. If they have indeed resigned, elections will be held within 90 days of the seat becoming vacant. If the resignation is tendered to the Speaker or in her absence by the Deputy Speaker, it will be gazette," he said while speaking to reporters on Sunday (11 December).
"If it is gazetted then our work will start. Until the gazette, we have no chance to start work. It is the responsibility of the commission to hold an election within 90 days if a member of parliament resigns," he added.
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BNP MPs submitted their resignation to the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) speaker in-person on Sunday. Five of the BNP lawmakers visited the parliament around 11am and handed in their resignations. Meanwhile, the others submitted their resignation letters via the BNP whip.
The MPs who have resigned are -- Md Zahidur Rahman, Thakurgaon-3; Md Mosharof Hosen, Bogura-4; Gulam Mohammad Siraj, Bogura-6; Md Aminul Islam, Chapainawabganj-2; Md Harunur Rashid, Chapainawabganj-3; Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan, Brahmanbaria-2; and Rumeen Farhana, Women's Reserved Seat.
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 physically present today. Their respective constituencies have now become vacant. I will scrutinise the application."
BNP's International Affairs Secretary Rumeen Farhana announced the decision from the party's Dhaka rally at Golapbagh playground on Saturday (10 December). The MPs had sent their resignation through an e-mail to the concerned authorities the same day.
In 1994, when 147 of the 154 opposition parliamentary members of Awami League, Jamaat and Jatiya Party (JaPa) resigned in a bid to oust the then Khaleda Zia's government.
After a parliament seat gets empty, according to the constitution of Bangladesh, by-elections have to hold for that seat within 90 of being declared empty.
