World leaders have confidence in govt: Speaker

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Saber Hossain Chowdhury

Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury today said Bangladeshis have been elected leaders of two international forums which proves the world leaders have confidence in the government and the democracy of the country.

Shirin and Awami League lawmaker Saber Hossain Chowdhury have been elected chairperson and president of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) respectively.

"The world leaders have confidence in the incumbent government and democracy that’s why we have been elected leaders of two international organisations in a span of seven days," she added.

She was speaking to journalists at the VIP lounge of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on her arrival from abroad this afternoon.

Responding to a query over diplomatic crisis with the western countries after the January 5 national election, she said there is no crisis regarding this.

On the other hand, Saber Hossain said with the victories, Bangladesh has already come forward in the international arena.

"It is a great chance for us to go ahead which was beyond our thinking 10 days ago," he added.           

Shirin was elected CPA's first-ever Bangladeshi chairperson recently, defeating her lone rival Juliana O'Connor-Connoly, speaker of the legislative assembly of Cayman Islands, by three votes.

Saber became IPU president defeating Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop by 74 votes, the highest-ever vote margin, bagging 169 votes.