Bangladesh holds first contested presidential election since 1991

Bangladesh lawmakers are voting in Parliament to choose the country's next president. The rare contest follows Mohammed Shahabuddin's resignation and breaks a long run of uncontested selections.

In Short

• Lawmakers are casting open ballots inside Parliament until 5 pm local time
• Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir faces opposition nominee Colonel retired Oli Ahmed
• The vacancy arose after Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned early on health grounds

Bangladesh began voting on Thursday to elect its 23rd president in the first contested election for the post since 1991, after decades in which the office was largely filled through consensus or uncontested polls.

The vote is taking place in Parliament, where 349 lawmakers are eligible to cast their ballots through an open ballot system until 5 pm local time. The result is expected after the counting is completed, and the winner will be sworn in on Friday evening.

Ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 78, is in the contest against Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, 84, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance.

The presidential election became necessary after Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned last month on health grounds before completing his five-year term. The Election Commission later announced the schedule for the vote, fixing polling for August 20. Under Bangladesh's constitutional system, the president is elected by Members of Parliament.

The Election Commission is expected to declare the result after the votes are counted and publish it in the official gazette. The president-elect will take oath as Bangladesh's new president on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban. With the BNP, voted to power in the February 12 elections, holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, Alamgir is seen as being in a strong position in the contest.

In summary, Bangladesh's presidential election is being decided by lawmakers in Parliament, with Alamgir and Oli Ahmed in the fray, after Shahabuddin's resignation made a fresh vote necessary.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends