Bangladesh opposition may get another front-row seat in parliament

DHAKA - The speaker of the Bangladesh parliament Tuesday mooted one more front row seat to main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to end the latter’s year-long boycott over the seating arrangement.

“I can request the prime minister to allocate one more front row seat to the opposition if they raise the demand inside the parliament,” Star Online quoted Speaker Abdul Hamid as saying.

“I have already allocated them five front row seats, in excess of the number due for the party on the basis of its representation in parliament. But they still demand one more,” Hamid said.

The BNP, which lost last December’s election, has 30 seats in a house of 300 elected members.

Hamid’s comment came six days before the fourth session of the house starts to resolve the row over seating arrangement, ATN Bangla TV reported.

Led by former prime minister Khaleda zia, BNP has been boycotting the house over the front seat row.

Efforts by Hasina to get her arch political rival to end the boycott and return to the house have not worked. The BNP says it would do so only of the “atmosphere is congenial”.