Sweden, Bangladesh share similarities in parliamentary democracy: Speaker

Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Sunday said Bangladesh and Sweden share similarities in parliamentary democracy, expressing hope that a parliamentary friendship group between the two countries would play an important role in promoting democratic practices.

"Sweden has been working as a development partner of Bangladesh for a long time," he said when Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Nicolas Weeks made a courtesy call on him at his office at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

The Speaker said Sweden follows a unicameral parliamentary system based on representative democracy, adding that the two countries have similarities in several aspects of parliamentary democracy, said a press release of parliament secretariat.

He said the formation of a parliamentary friendship group between Bangladesh and Sweden could contribute significantly to strengthening parliamentary democracy in both countries.

"People of Bangladesh have always been fond of democracy and have never hesitated to sacrifice their lives for it," Hafiz Uddin said.

He noted that the people of Bangladesh had been deprived of their voting rights during 17 years of authoritarian rule.

Referring to the mass uprising of 2024, the Speaker said students and people from all walks of life had brought an end to the authoritarian regime through their united movement.

He said people in Bangladesh vote for the political parties and candidates of their choice, adding that voters play an important role in parliamentary democracy by exercising their democratic rights to vote.

During the meeting, the Swedish ambassador said Sweden's parliament has 349 seats, with members elected through direct popular votes for four-year terms.

Although Sweden is formally a constitutional monarchy, he said, political and administrative powers in governing the country rest with the parliament and the government.

Both sides stressed the importance of forming parliamentary friendship groups and caucuses to strengthen relations between the two countries.

They also discussed opportunities to increase bilateral investment and expand cooperation in sports and culture.

The Speaker briefed the ambassador on the ongoing activities of the Constitution Amendment Committee and invited Swedish companies to participate in the exploration and extraction of oil and gas reserves along Bangladesh's coastal areas in the Bay of Bengal.

Officials of the Swedish Embassy and Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, among others, were present at the meeting.