The Awami League on Saturday re-elected Sheikh Hasina as the president and Obaidul Quader as the general secretary to lead the ruling party for next three years.
The councillors of the party took the decision on the second day of 21st National Council held at the auditorium of Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) on Saturday.
AL Presidium Member Advocate Abdul Matin Khasru proposed Sheikh Hasina’s name as the president, while Presidium Member Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya supported it.
The name of Quader was proposed as AL general secretary by Jahangir Kabir Nanak which was supported by Abdur Rahman.
The new leadership will now oversee the celebrations of Bangabandhu's centenary birth anniversary next year and the golden jubilee of the country's independence in 2021.
Three-member Election Commission Chairman Advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayun declared Sheikh Hasina re-elected as the AL President and Obaidul Quader as general secretary as nobody contested for the posts.
Other members of the commission are Dr. Mashiur Rahman and Professor Saidur Rahman.
After becoming the Awami League chief for the ninth consecutive time, Sheikh Hasina announced some names to lead the party for next three years. She said rest names will be announced later.
All of the Presidium and Advisory Council members of the outgoing committee have retained their posts in the new the committee.
Former shipping minister and labour leader Shajahan Khan was inducted in the new committee as a presidium member, while two joint secretaries of the previous committee Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman were also promoted as presidium members in the new committee.
The new committee has got two new joint secretaries. They are Information Minister and outgoing committee’s Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud and Organizing Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim.
The two other joint secretaries of the outgoing body – Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif and Dr Dipu Moni – were once again given the charge of the same posts.
Organising secretaries of the outgoing committee – Ahmed Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan –remained in the same posts of the new committee while outgoing central committee members SM Kamal Hossain and Mirza Azam were promoted as organising secretaries of the new committee.
Office secretary of the outgoing committee Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap was made publicity and publication secretary of the new committee while Barrister Biplib Barua was promoted to the post of office secretary from deputy office secretary.
Shammi Akter, Delwar Hossain, Engineer Abdus Sabur, Mrinal Kanti Das, Harunur Rashid, Asim Kumar Ukil, Shamsunnahar Chapa, Dr. Rokeya Sultana, Faridunnahar Laily , Sujit Roy Nandi and Meher Afroz Chumki were elected for the secretariat posts of international affairs, forest and environment, science and technology, liberation war affairs, youth and sports, cultural affairs, education and human resources, health and population affairs, agriculture and cooperatives, relief and social welfare and women affairs respectively.
The outgoing committee’s central members Advocate Nazibullah Hiru was made law affairs secretary in the new committee.
After the announcement of the new committee, the prime minister greeted the AL leaders and workers for re-electing her as the party president and urged them to work sincerely for further strengthening the organisation.
Sheikh Hasina said: “I have been leading the party for the last 38 years. So, you (the councilors) would have to consider my age (in the future).”
The AL president sought blessings from all in running the party as their (councilors) aspirations.
Later, the party leaders greeted Sheikh Hasina and Obaidul Quader with flower bouquets.
Sheikh Hasina also congratulated Obaidul Quader on his re-election as the party general secretary.