EC Awaits Speaker’s Letter to Act on Expelled MP Gazi Nazrul

The Election Commission (EC) will only take legal action regarding Satkhira-4 MP Gazi Nazrul Islam's parliamentary seat after receiving a formal letter from the Speaker of Parliament Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud confirmed Thursday.

Jamaat-e-Islami expelled Nazrul on Wednesday for "moral turpitude" following an emergency meeting of the Central Executive Council. The expulsion stems from a viral video showing the lawmaker in an intimate moment with a woman. While party activists initially claimed the video was a deepfake created with artificial intelligence, Nazrul later clarified in a Facebook post that the woman is his second wife.

Despite the party's disciplinary action Masud explained that the EC cannot unseat a lawmaker based solely on a political party's expulsion letter.

"Once we receive a formal reference from the Speaker, the law and Constitution will be reviewed, and necessary action will be taken," Masud told journalists at the EC building in Agargaon.

Under Article 66 of the Constitution, the disqualification of a Member of Parliament strictly requires a reference from the Speaker. Masud noted that while an MP's seat automatically becomes vacant if they voluntarily resign deciding the fate of an expelled MP falls outside the EC's jurisdiction without the Speaker's direct involvement.

Although Jamaat-e-Islami stated they would inform the commission immediately after their Wednesday meeting the EC had not received any official correspondence from the party as of Thursday afternoon.