Voting began in Bangladesh’s presidential election at the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday, 35 years after the last contested parliamentary election for the country’s head of state.
Balloting began at 2pm and is scheduled to continue until 5pm, with 349 eligible MPs expected to cast their votes. The Election Commission said the result will be published in the official gazette later today.
Two candidates are contesting the election BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and LDP Chairman Oli Ahmed, who is representing an opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.
With 247 MPs, the BNP holds a clear majority in parliament, making Fakhrul the likely winner. However, voting is mandatory under the election schedule as two candidates are in the race.
The last contested parliamentary presidential election was held in 1991, following the restoration of the parliamentary system. The next seven presidents were elected unopposed, making this only the second occasion on which MPs have voted to elect a president.
The voting process is not secret. MPs will write the full name of their preferred candidate beside the candidate’s name on the ballot and sign it before casting their votes from their respective seats.
Acting President and Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and Acting Speaker Kaisar Kamal will also vote as MPs under separate seating arrangements.
The newly elected president is scheduled to take oath at Bangabhaban at 7pm on Friday, August 21.
Fakhrul, being an MP, is eligible to vote, although his parliamentary seat will fall vacant once he assumes the presidency. Oli Ahmed is not an MP and therefore cannot vote.
The election was necessitated by the resignation of President Mohammad Shahabuddin on July 24. Under the Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days of the office becoming vacant.
