President Alamgir Convenes Fourth Session of 13th Parliament for 9 November

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has formally summoned the fourth session of Bangladesh's 13th National Parliament. The sitting is scheduled to begin on Monday, 9 November 2026, at 3:30 pm in the main chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

The summons was issued through a notice from Legislative Wing-1 of the Parliament Secretariat. In the notice the president exercised the authority granted to him under Article 72(1) of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The article empowers the president to summon, prorogue or dissolve parliament. In normal practice the summons is issued on the advice of the prime minister after the government has decided the broad timing of the next sitting.

This is the first occasion on which President Alamgir has called a session of parliament since he assumed office. He was elected the country's 23rd president by members of the Jatiya Sangsad in August 2026 and took the oath of office shortly afterward. Sessions that took place before his election were summoned by the acting president who held the office at the time. The present summons therefore marks a clear procedural milestone in the early months of his presidency.

The 13th Parliament itself was constituted after the general election held in February 2026. That election produced a majority for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and Tarique Rahman became prime minister. The current parliamentary term is still relatively young, and much of the government's early work has taken place in committees and in the ministries rather than on the floor of the House. The November session will give members an opportunity to question ministers, examine reports and, if the government so decides, consider any bills that have been prepared since the last sitting.

Under the established timetable the speaker, once the summons has been received, directs the secretariat to notify all members, prepare the draft order paper and coordinate security and logistical arrangements with the relevant agencies. Ministries are also expected to finalise any legislative proposals or policy statements they wish to place before the House. The precise length of the session and the detailed agenda will be settled closer to the date, but the opening time and venue are already fixed by the presidential notice.

Since taking office the government has indicated that work on constitutional reform linked to the July National Charter remains an important item of business. A special parliamentary committee has held a series of meetings to examine possible changes relating to the procedure for amending the Constitution, the caretaker government system, the independence of the judiciary and the expression of popular sovereignty. Opposition parties have continued to express their own views on how the outcome of the referendum held alongside the February election should be reflected in any amendment process. Whether any of these matters reach the order paper in November will depend on the progress of discussions between the government and the opposition in the intervening weeks and on the final decisions of the business advisory committee.

Parliamentary sessions also remain the principal public forum in which the opposition can scrutinise executive decisions and in which individual members can raise issues affecting their constituencies. With local-government elections planned in stages during 2027 and with economic and administrative questions still under review, members on both sides of the aisle are likely to seek opportunities to place questions and motions once the House meets. The speaker will allocate time for these items according to the rules of procedure.

By fixing the date well in advance the president has given the Parliament Secretariat, the ministries and the political parties a clear period in which to complete their preparations. Notices to members have already begun to circulate, and the secretariat is coordinating with the security agencies and with the offices of the speaker and the chief whip. Further announcements concerning the duration of the session, any special addresses and the placement of committee reports are expected in the coming weeks.

The summons therefore restores the regular rhythm of the 13th Parliament and provides a firm timetable for the next phase of legislative activity under the government elected earlier this year. It also confirms that the constitutional machinery for calling the House into session is functioning in the ordinary way under the newly elected president.