Special parliament session to be held for presidential election: Chief whip
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the presidential election, with nomination papers to be submitted by 13 August.
The government will convene a special session of the parliament for the election of Bangladesh's next president, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said today (6 August).
Speaking to The Business Standard this evening, the chief whip said the session would be held only for the presidential election and would be brief.
However, he did not mention the date for convening the session.
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The announcement came after the Election Commission (EC) published the full schedule today for the election of the country's 23rd president.
According to the schedule, nomination papers must be submitted by 13 August, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on 16 August.
Candidates can withdraw their nominations until 18 August.
If voting is required, it will be held on 20 August from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at the parliament.
Under Article 48 of the Constitution, the president is elected by members of parliament through a secret ballot. However, no voting will be required if only one candidate is nominated.
The Election Commission has appointed Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin as the returning officer for the presidential election.
The presidential post fell vacant after former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on 24 July.
Since then, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has been performing the duties of the president in an acting capacity.
