Mirza Fakhrul elected 23rd President of Bangladesh
His rival, opposition Jamaat-led alliance nominee Oli Ahmad, secured 88 votes.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected as the 23rd president of Bangladesh today (20 August), securing 255 votes in the country's first presidential election since 1991 to feature more than one candidate.
His rival, Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, the candidate backed by the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, received 88 votes.
The election was held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, where 343 of the 349 eligible MPs cast their ballots. Since the Chattogram-4 parliamentary seat remains vacant, the number of voters was 349. All 343 votes were declared valid.
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Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, who also served as the returning officer, announced the result after the ballots were counted publicly following the end of voting at 5pm.
According to the CEC, 349 ballots were prepared and 343 were used. Four ballots were replaced due to errors in accordance with Rule 10 of the Presidential Election Rules, 1991. No ballot was declared invalid.
A return to contested presidential polls
The election marked a return to competitive presidential voting after 35 years.
The last contested presidential election was held on 8 Otober 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League candidate Badrul Haider Chowdhury to become the country's 11th president.
Biswas received 172 votes, while Badrul secured 92.
Since then, no voting was required in the successive presidential elections as a single candidate was elected uncontested in each election. The presidents elected in 1996, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018 and 2023 all ran unopposed.
Today, Fakhrul's victory was widely expected as the BNP holds a two-thirds majority in the 13th National Parliament.
The electorate comprised 247 BNP lawmakers, 77 Jamaat MPs, eight NCP lawmakers, eight independent MPs, three Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis MPs, and one each from Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolon, Khilafat Majlis, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party.
BJP, Gono Odhikar Parishad and Ganosamhati Andolon are allies of the ruling BNP, which has 250 lawmakers in the 13th Parliament.
Jamaat, NCP, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Khilafat Majlis and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party are components of the 11-party opposition alliance, which has 90 lawmakers.
PM Tarique, Opposition Leader Shafiqur congratulate Fakhrul
Fakhrul was congratulated by lawmakers immediately after the result was announced.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman congratulated him with a rose.
Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman then went over to congratulate the newly elected president. Fakhrul rose from his seat and exchanged greetings with Shafiqur and other lawmakers.
Other BNP lawmakers also went over to congratulate Fakhrul, shaking hands and embracing him.
How the vote was held
The presidential election proceedings began at 2pm with the recitation of the Quran.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the names of the two candidates, their proposers and supporters, and explained the voting procedure to lawmakers.
The ballot was not secret. MPs were required to sign their full names in the designated space beside the candidate of their choice before depositing their ballots in the designated box.
The names of the two candidates were printed on the ballot paper. Election officials distributed the ballots to lawmakers at their respective seats, after which they signed and marked their preferred candidate before depositing the ballots in the boxes.
Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad cast the first vote, followed by Acting Speaker Kaiser Kamal. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other lawmakers then voted, with Fakhrul also casting his ballot.
At the beginning of the proceedings, the CEC's microphone briefly malfunctioned before he proceeded to explain the voting process.
Three ballot boxes were used in phases to avoid congestion and ensure a smooth voting process.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni later invited Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam to observe the vote counting.
The ballots were counted publicly after voting ended, and the CEC announced the result.
Six lawmakers did not vote
Six of the 349 eligible lawmakers did not cast their ballots.
The three BNP lawmakers who abstained were Dhaka-8 MP Mirza Abbas, Kishoreganj-3 MP Osman Faruk and Chattogram-3 MP Mustafa Kamal Pasha.
Mirza Abbas, also a member of the BNP Standing Committee, was abroad for medical treatment and had informed the speaker in writing that he would be unable to vote, according to parliamentary secretariat sources.
Mustafa Kamal Pasha and Osman Faruk were also unable to attend the election as they are sick and currently under treatment abroad.
The other three were Gazi Nazrul Islam of Satkhira-4, Khelafat Majlis MP Abul Hasan of Sylhet-5, and independent MP Rumeen Farhana of Brahmanbaria-2.
Gazi Nazrul Islam was expelled from Jamaat after a controversial video involving him surfaced on social media.
Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Ahmad Abdul Quader said Abul Hasan is currently abroad.
Explaining her decision to abstain, Rumeen Farhana told Prothom Alo that the presidential election was "meaningless" and "a farce" because its outcome was never in doubt.
"To me, this was not an election. When there is no uncertainty about the outcome, it is a nomination, not an election," she said.
Oli absent from voting
Oli Ahmad, despite being one of the two presidential candidates, was not present in the Jatiya Sangsad chamber during voting because he is not a member of the 13th National Parliament.
Under the Constitution, the president is elected by the votes of lawmakers. Fakhrul, being an MP from Thakurgaon-1, was therefore eligible to vote in the election and cast his own ballot.
Oli Ahmad's name appeared first on the ballot in Bengali alphabetical order. Opposition Leader Shafiquur Rahman was his proposer, while Abdullah Al Amin, the NCP lawmaker from Narayanganj-4, supported his nomination.
BNP lawmaker Abdul Moyeen Khan of Narsingdi-2 proposed Fakhrul's candidacy, while Gayeshwar Chandra Roy of Dhaka-3 supported his nomination.
Fakhrul to take oath tomorrow
Former president Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on 24 July, after which Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed charge as acting president.
Under the Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said Fakhrul is scheduled to take oath as president at Bangabhaban at 7:30pm tomorrow (21 August).
Fakhrul, a longtime BNP leader and the MP for Thakurgaon-1, will leave Parliament for Bangabhaban after taking office. His parliamentary seat will become vacant once he assumes the presidency.
Congratulations pour in for Fakhrul
Interim government chief adviser Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on his election as the 23rd president of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
Fakhrul's rival in the presidential election, Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, also congratulated him on his victory.
The United Kingdom and China have also congratulated Fakhrul on his election as president.
