The first session of Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament began on Thursday at 11 a.m., with President Md. Shahabuddin scheduled to address the session at 2 p.m. According to the Parliament Secretariat, his speech is expected to last about 40 minutes. The session was convened in accordance with the constitutional requirement to call Parliament within 30 days of the election results being announced.

The 13th Parliament convened roughly one month after the election results were declared. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) formed the government with a two-thirds majority, securing 209 seats. Its main rival was an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. In the election, Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured six.

A total of 50 registered political parties participated in the election, and nine of them are represented in Parliament. Among the smaller parties, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish has two members, while Islami Andolan Bangladesh, BJP, Ganosamhati Andolon, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Khelafat Majlish each have one. There are also seven independent members.