Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was elected the speaker of parliament for a fourth consecutive term on Tuesday.  

The attending members of the newly formed 12th parliament unanimously elected her, the sole candidate, through a voice vote for the position of speaker. 

Shamsul Hoque Tuku, who was presiding over the session, presented it for endorsement.

All MPs, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressed their support for the proposal put forth by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and seconded by Chief Whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury by shouting “yes”

Chaired by Shamsul Hoque Tuku, the assembly initiated the speaker election on the first day of the inaugural session of the 12th parliament, formed through the general election on January 7.

The session commenced at 3pm, with Deputy Speaker Shamsul Hoque Tuku presiding over it, as the outgoing speaker, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, was a candidate for the speaker position.

Immediately after her election, the session was adjourned for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, Shamsul Hoque was re-elected as the deputy speaker. 

In 2013, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury made history by becoming Bangladesh's first woman speaker towards the conclusion of the ninth parliament. Her predecessor, Md Abdul Hamid, had assumed the presidency following the demise of former president Zillur Rahman.

Before her speakership, she served as state minister for women and children affairs, after having been elected as a lawmaker from a reserved seat in the ninth parliament.

Since 2013, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the lawmaker for Rangpur-6, has been serving as the speaker of parliament.  

Born on October 6, 1966, in Dhaka, Shirin Sharmin is a lawyer by profession. 

Her father, Rafiqullah Chaudhury, served as a secretary to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and her mother, Prof Naiyar Sultana, was a member of the Public Service Commission.

(This article was first published in the Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh)