Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury Resigns Amid Political Turmoil

Dhaka: Bangladesh Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned on Monday, nearly four weeks after President Mohammad Shahabuddin dissolved the house following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Bangabhaban presidential palace officials said Chaudhury tendered her resignation to the president.

Her resignation comes as she was accused in a murder case over the death of a jewellery worker during the anti-government protests.

The case against Chaudhury is one of scores of others against ministers of the former cabinet and Awami League leaders.

Legal Actions Against Former Government Officials

Deputy speaker of parliament Shamsul Haque Tuku is in prison, facing identical charges after his arrest.

Many of the Awami League leaders are now in jail following their arrests in corruption and other criminal cases, including murders, after the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge.

Travel Restrictions Imposed on Former Regime Members

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on Monday debarred eight ministers and eight lawmakers of the ousted regime from leaving Bangladesh on separate petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Constitutional Implications of the Resignation

Chaudhury’s resignation has raised the question of a constitutional vacuum as she is supposed to administer the oath of office to the members of the new parliament.

Several legal experts said Chaudhury, despite her resignation, would be deemed the speaker to accomplish her constitutional task of administering the oath of office to members of the 13th parliament.

Political Uncertainty Amidst Constitutional Provisions

The constitution stipulates that the Speaker will also discharge the duties of the President if the Head of the State resigns or the post falls vacant.

Leading constitutional expert Shahdhin Malik told Prothom Alo newspaper that despite the constitutional provision, political uncertainty has been created with Chaudhury's resignation and the imprisonment of the deputy speaker.

Chaudhury’s Long Tenure and Historical Significance

Chaudhury, a lawyer by profession, became the Jatiya Sangsad speaker for the first time on April 30, 2013, and remained in the position uninterruptedly since then.

She was re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2024 with an Awami League ticket during then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina's nearly 16-year regime that collapsed on August 5 after massive student protests against a controversial quota system in government jobs.

On April 30, 2013, Chaudhury was appointed the first female speaker of the parliament after Mohammad Abdul Hamid, who was initially appointed the speaker in 2008, vacated the post following his election as the president of Bangladesh upon the death of then-president Zillur Rahman towards the end of the ninth parliament. 

(With PTI inputs)