Bangladesh is set for first voted presidential poll in 35 years. Bangladesh lawmakers will elect the next president on Thursday in Parliament.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who is also the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman, declared Party stalwart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the ruling party’s presidential candidate.
The BNP, which was voted to power in the February 12 elections, currently commands a two-thirds majority in Parliament, putting Alamgir in a strong position to secure the presidency. If elected, he will become Bangladesh’s 23rd president.
Islam Alamgir will face Eleven party opposition alliance candidate Colonel retired Oli Ahmed. According to the Election Commission, The voting will take place at Parliament from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The election was necessitated after Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned last month on health grounds before completing his five-year tenure.
Under the Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days after the office falls vacant, and Parliamentary Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is currently serving as acting president
