Bangladesh elects ruling party veteran Alamgir as president
The ruling BNP used its parliamentary majority to secure a largely ceremonial post that remains key during political crises.
- On Thursday, lawmakers in the Jatiya Sangsad elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the country's 23rd president, with Alamgir securing 255 votes against opponent Colonel Oli Ahmed's 88.
- The election followed the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin last month on health grounds, cutting short his five-year term originally scheduled to end in 2028.
- Thursday's vote marked the first contested presidential election in 35 years, with 343 of 349 eligible lawmakers participating in the Jatiya Sangsad between 2 pm and 5 pm local time.
- Alamgir is scheduled to take the oath on Friday, August 21, 2026, at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, marking his official transition to the largely ceremonial presidency.
- While the presidency remains largely ceremonial under Bangladesh's parliamentary system, analysts note the office could gain significant influence under the caretaker government system recently reintroduced to oversee general elections.
63 Articles
63 Articles
Bangladesh’s Alamgir tipped to become president
Bangladesh’s parliament was yesterday set to elect the country’s new president, with Bangladesh Nationalist (BNP) Party Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expected to take the largely ceremonial position.Alamgir is expected to sweep the afternoon vote for the five-year post to become the
With a clear victory, the candidate of the right-wing governing party BNP prevails as president. Nevertheless, it was unusual that he had an opponent at all.
Mr. Alamgir, 78, won 255 votes against 88 for Oli Ahmed, the candidate of an eleven-party coalition led by the Islamists of Jamaat-e-Islami. Former Secretary General of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Minister of Local Communities, he became Bangladesh's 23rd President for a five-year term. "I dream of a happy, prosperous country and a welfare state where marginalized communities, hard-working people and day-to-day workers can afford …
BNP's Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is Bangladesh's new President
Dhaka: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a long-time secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a close ally of former premier Khaleda Zia, was on Thursday, August 20, elected as the country’s new President in the first contested poll for the post in 35 years. The 78-year-old BNP stalwart defeated his lone rival, Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the 84-year-old Liberal Democratic Party chairman and the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Isl…
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