Bangladesh Parliament Opens Maiden Session; Speaker's Chair Vacant, Jamaat Protests

• Bangladesh's new parliament convenes its maiden session on Thursday with the speaker's chair vacant.
• Former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury resigned after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, and Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque was jailed.
• The ruling BNP, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, will propose a senior parliamentarian to chair the session.
• Opposition party Jamaat expressed strong reservation against President Mohammad Shahabuddin's address, calling him an "accomplice of the autocrat."
• Differences persist between BNP and Jamaat over the July Charter referendum, which mandates constitutional reforms and a 'Constitution Reform Council'.