Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been unanimously elected leader of the parliamentary party in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad.

The election took place at a meeting of newly elected BNP MPs at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at 12:00pm today.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described the occasion as “historic,” citing the party’s return to parliament through “a fair election” after “a long fascist government’s repression, destruction of democracy, and making the parliament ineffective, and after much bloodshed of the people”.

“In this parliament, with a majority of seats, we have elected our young leader Mr Tarique Rahman as the leader of the parliamentary party,” he said.

Fakhrul also said the parliamentary party had decided that BNP MPs would not accept duty-free cars or government plots.

While briefing reporters, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the party has sent a letter to the President urging him to allow BNP to form the government.

He added that Tarique Rahman will take oath as Prime Minister at 4:00pm today at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad.

Earlier, around 10:35am, the newly elected BNP lawmakers took their oaths at the parliament building, administered by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.

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