February 18, New Delhi — Sharp political divisions emerged in Bangladesh on Tuesday after newly elected members of the 13th Parliament disagreed over taking an additional oath as members of a proposed Constitutional Reform Council.
Members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party took an oath only as Members of Parliament, declining to recite the second pledge. Party leaders argued that they were elected as MPs, not as council members, and that the council must first be incorporated into the Constitution through parliamentary procedures.
In contrast, lawmakers from the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) took both the parliamentary oath and the Reform Council oath administered by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.
The disagreement follows a recent referendum endorsing constitutional reform and the July National Charter, which proposes the formation of a Constitutional Reform Council. The BNP stated that it remains committed to reform but insists that changes must first be legally adopted in parliament.
This episode highlights an early rift in post-election politics between the victorious BNP and opposition groups pushing for the swift implementation of the July Charter.
Legal experts have also questioned the validity of the second oath, arguing that it lacks a constitutional or legal basis.