BNP veteran Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected Bangladesh’s president with 255 votes.
Opposition challenger Oli Ahmed secured 88 votes in the first contested presidential election since 1991.
Alamgir is expected to take office on Friday following former President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s resignation.
Bangladesh Elects BNP Veteran Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir As President
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir won 255 votes against 88 for opposition challenger Oli Ahmed in Bangladesh’s first contested presidential election since 1991.
Summary
Bangladesh’s Parliament on Thursday elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) veteran Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the country’s president, defeating opposition challenger Oli Ahmed in the country’s first contested presidential election since 1991.
Alamgir secured 255 votes against Ahmed’s 88 in a contest that drew 349 eligible members of Parliament. Ahmed was the challenger from Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies. According to AP, presidential elections in Bangladesh had remained uncontested since October 1991, with no challengers standing against the ruling party’s candidate.
The result elevates Alamgir, the BNP’s long-time secretary-general, to the largely ceremonial head-of-state position after he spent years leading the political movement against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. Hasina fled to India in August 2024 during a mass uprising over allegations of autocratic rule and corruption in the allocation of government jobs. Her party has been barred from politics since last year.
Bangladesh’s president is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, while the prime minister heads the government. Although the presidency is largely ceremonial, it carries important responsibilities during periods of political crisis. AP reported that Alamgir was expected to take office on Friday.
The election came weeks after former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned halfway through his term. Shahabuddin had taken office during Hasina’s rule and was regarded as a trusted ally of the former prime minister. His resignation meant that Hasina, who is in exile in India, lost a trusted ally in the establishment at home.
A government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the son of a former prime minister and Hasina’s political archrival, came to power after winning a landslide victory in February. The result ended 18 months of interim rule under Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Hasina’s party was not allowed to contest the election.
Shahabuddin’s position had come under growing pressure after Hasina’s ouster. A student group that led the uprising against her accused him of being her collaborator and organised protests demanding his resignation and arrest, AP reported.
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