BNP MPs-elect might be sworn in tomorrow

BNP lawmakers-elect may be sworn in by Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar tomorrow.
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, an MP-elect of the party, yesterday told The Daily Star over phone that their oath-taking has been tentatively scheduled for January 14.
The same day two lawmakers-elect from Jamaat-e-Islami and one from Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), BNP's electoral allies, too may take oath, said sources close to the parties.
However, whether Sircar, who was elected speaker from BNP in the eighth parliament, could administer oath now remains open to debate as the constitution-specified time for him to do so is apparently over.
If his party colleagues take oath tomorrow, he will be able to announce names of the leader and deputy leader of the opposition before election of his successor in inaugural session of the ninth parliament on January 25.
After the swearing-in, BNP Parliamentary Party will meet to elect leader and deputy leader of the opposition and forward the names to the speaker for recognition.
The party, which has managed only 29 seats in the December 29 national polls, skipped the oath-taking on January 4.
According to the constitution, the outgoing speaker shall administer oath to lawmakers-elect in the first three days after publication of election results in the gazette. The CEC shall do the job in the next three days.
As the BNP lawmakers-elect did not swear oath on January 4 and in the following three days, Jamiruddin Sircar said the new speaker would administer oath to them.
But later, BNP leaders discussed legal aspects of the issue with him. They reached the conclusion that Sircar can still officiate at oath-taking.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, BNP Vice-chairman MK Anwar said the outgoing speaker gets back his authority to administer oath on expiry of the time for the CEC to do the job.