Kathmandu [Nepal], August 20 – Bangladesh is holding its first competitive presidential election in 35 years on Thursday with lawmakers voting to choose the country’s 23rd president.
Voting is taking place at the Jatiya Sangsad with two candidates contesting the post, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and retired Colonel Oli Ahmed the nominee of an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Of the parliament’s 350 seats, one seat from Chattogram-4 is vacant leaving 349 lawmakers eligible to vote. The BNP holds a majority with 247 seats giving Alamgir a strong advantage in the election.
Lawmakers will vote using signed paper ballots placed in three transparent ballot boxes. The process will be open rather than secret in line with the country’s constitutional framework. Vote counting will begin immediately after polling ends.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said the results are scheduled to be announced on Thursday followed by publication in the official gazette. The newly elected president is expected to take the oath of office on Friday evening.
The presidency became vacant after the resignation of 22nd President Mohammed Shahabuddin on July 24. Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed is currently serving as acting president.
Presidential elections have been uncontested in Bangladesh since the restoration of the parliamentary system in 1991. The last competitive contest was held that year between BNP’s Abdur Rahman Biswas and Awami League’s Badrul Haider Chowdhury.
