Bangladesh elects BNP’s Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as President

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was on August 20 elected as the country’s 23rd President, defeating his lone rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed in the first contested presidential election in 35 years.

The 78-year-old BNP leader secured 255 votes against 88 polled by Oli Ahmed, 84, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance, Chief Election Commissioner and Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin announced after the counting.

Of the 349 registered voters, 343 cast their ballots, while six lawmakers did not vote.

Alamgir will take oath as President on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban.

The election was necessitated by the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who stepped down last month citing health reasons before completing his five-year term.

Under Bangladesh's Constitution, a new President must be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant. Parliamentary Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is currently serving as acting President.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman congratulated Alamgir on his victory. Lawmakers also congratulated the President-elect by thumping their desks.

According to the state-run BSS news agency, when opposition lawmakers, including Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Deputy Leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, approached the treasury bench, Alamgir came forward and embraced Rahman.

The President is elected by Members of Parliament under Bangladesh's parliamentary system and largely serves as the ceremonial head of state. However, the office carries important constitutional responsibilities, including appointing the prime minister and the chief justice.

Although the President is the supreme commander of the armed forces, these powers are generally exercised on the advice of the prime minister.

Political analysts said the presidency could assume greater importance under the caretaker government system recently reintroduced to oversee general elections, as the President's role in commanding the armed forces could become more significant during such periods.

They also viewed Alamgir's election as a calculated move by the BNP, which had promised in its election manifesto to strengthen the powers of the President through constitutional amendments.

Alamgir has been one of the BNP's most prominent leaders for more than two decades. He served as acting secretary general from 2011 before formally taking over as secretary general in 2016.

He played a key role in leading the BNP during the imprisonment of then party chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the absence of Tarique Rahman, who was abroad at the time.

An economist by training, Alamgir began his political career as a left-leaning student activist when Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan. He joined the BNP in the early 1990s and later served as state minister for agriculture and civil aviation.

After the BNP returned to power following the February 12 elections this year, Alamgir was appointed local government minister.

In his final remarks before the election, Alamgir had pledged that he would never compromise on Bangladesh's independence and sovereignty.

The presidential election was the first contested poll for the post since 1991, with successive Presidents in recent decades largely being elected through consensus or uncontested polls.