Bangladesh presidential election sees Mirza Fakhrul lead in first contest since 1991

Bangladesh lawmakers vote on Thursday to choose between Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Oli Ahmed as president. The rare contest could reshape the office's importance as the BNP pushes for greater presidential powers.

In Short

• Voting at Jatiya Sangsad is scheduled from 2 pm to 5 pm
• Shahabuddin resigned last month on health grounds before completing his term
• Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is serving as acting president under Constitution

Bangladesh is set to elect a new president on Thursday, with ruling BNP stalwart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir emerging as the frontrunner in what is being described as the country's first contested presidential election in 35 years, and the first since 1991. Lawmakers will vote between Alamgir and Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the candidate of the 11-party opposition alliance.

The voting will be held at Parliament, or Jatiya Sangsad, from 2 pm to 5 pm, according to the Election Commission. The office fell vacant after Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned last month on health grounds before completing his five-year term.

Alamgir, 78, is the candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, while Ahmed, 84, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, is contesting as the candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance. The Election Commission declared the nomination papers of both candidates valid on August 16. Under the 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, as required under the Constitution.

Speaking at the BNP parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, Alamgir appealed to BNP lawmakers to vote for him in Thursday's presidential election. "If I have made any mistake or unintentionally hurt anyone during my tenure, I seek forgiveness," said Alamgir, who has served as the BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General, Acting Secretary General and Secretary General. Several lawmakers present at the meeting said the veteran leader became emotional and broke down in tears several times. He also pledged that he would never compromise on the country's independence and sovereignty.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who is also the BNP chairman, nominated Alamgir as the party's presidential candidate. A long-time secretary general of the party and a close ally of former premier Khaleda Zia, Alamgir is in a strong position as the BNP, which returned to power in the February 12 elections, now holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament. If elected, he will become Bangladesh's 23rd president. He has been one of the BNP's most prominent leaders for more than two decades, serving as acting secretary general from 2011 before formally taking over the post in 2016. He also played a prominent role in leading the party during Zia's imprisonment and Rahman's absence abroad. An economist by training, Alamgir began his political journey as a left-leaning student activist when Bangladesh was still East Pakistan. After joining the BNP in the early 1990s, he served as state minister for agriculture and civil aviation. When the BNP returned to power in the February 12 elections this year, he was made local government minister.

Under Bangladesh's parliamentary system, the president is largely a ceremonial head of state, though the office carries constitutional powers such as appointing the prime minister and the chief justice. The president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, although those powers are generally exercised on the advice of the prime minister. Political analysts said the post could gain greater importance under the caretaker government system recently reintroduced to oversee general elections, when the president's role in commanding the armed forces would increase significantly. They also said Alamgir's nomination could be a calculated move by the BNP, which had promised in its election manifesto to give the president more powers through a constitutional amendment. The president-elect is expected to take oath on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, The Daily Star reported, citing sources at the Secretariat and Parliament Secretariat.

Thursday's vote will decide who succeeds Shahabuddin, with Alamgir favoured because of the BNP's strength in Parliament and Ahmed in the fray as the opposition alliance candidate. The election marks a rare contest for Bangladesh's presidency, a post that has mostly been filled through consensus and uncontested polls in recent decades.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends