Bangladesh’s 23rd president has been elected through a direct vote for the first time in roughly 35 years. In this election, the ruling BNP’s nominated candidate, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, was elected president with 255 votes.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir served as BNP’s secretary general and held the government’s Ministry of Local Government portfolio.
His rival candidate was Oli Ahmed, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He was the candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance.
Md Sahabuddin, the 22nd president elected on the nomination of the now-ousted Awami League during its rule, resigned on July 24, with roughly a year and a half remaining in his term.
Earlier this month, when the presidential election schedule was announced, BNP nominated its secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, for the presidency.
After formally taking the oath, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will become the resident of Bangabhaban for the next five years. BBC Bangla reported the news.
Known for leading his party through BNP’s most difficult period and for his “clean image” as a politician, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has traveled a long road from the grassroots to the highest office of the state.
Student politics during his college years, then a career in teaching, then leaving that profession to return to the political field — he was elected chairman of Thakurgaon municipality as soon as he entered politics.
When Khaleda Zia was imprisoned and Tareque Rahman was exiled, and BNP was reeling under cases and repression, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led the party from the front inside the country.
Political analysts believe his responsible role in party politics and his particular distinction as a clean politician made him well-suited for the presidency.
Writer and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad said: “We saw Mirza Fakhrul’s firm stance during the period when Khaleda Zia was behind bars and BNP was in a highly turbulent state in politics. He was arrested repeatedly, he was humiliated, yet he held his ground.”
From teaching to the political field
While studying at Dhaka University in the 1960s, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir joined the East Pakistan Chhatra Union. He was elected general secretary of Dhaka University’s S M Hall unit.
During the mass uprising against Ayub Khan in 1969, he became president of the Chhatra Union’s Dhaka University unit. He had to go to jail during that period as well.
After completing his education, he passed the BCS education cadre exam in 1972 and joined the economics department of Dhaka College as a lecturer. He subsequently taught at various colleges.
Later, in 1979, he joined the administration of then-President Ziaur Rahman as personal secretary to then-Deputy Prime Minister S A Bari.
A few years later, in 1986, Mirza Fakhrul entered national politics. Two years after that, in 1988, he was elected chairman of Thakurgaon municipality.
During the anti-Ershad movement, he joined BNP in 1990. In 1992, he became president of Thakurgaon district BNP, and later a member of the party’s executive committee.
Jahangirnagar University’s Professor Shamsul Alam, a teacher in the Department of Government and Politics and the university’s pro-vice-chancellor, said: “Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was known nationally and internationally as amiable, humble and hardworking. As a selfless politician, he is respected by everyone.”
In 1991, he ran for BNP’s nomination from the Thakurgaon-1 constituency. However, he did not win his first parliamentary election. The following year, in 1992, he was elected president of Thakurgaon district BNP.
In the eighth national parliamentary election of 2001, he was elected a member of parliament on the nomination of the BNP-led four-party alliance.
That same year, Mirza Fakhrul was first given the responsibility of state minister for agriculture in the four-party alliance government’s cabinet.
Following a subsequent cabinet reshuffle, he was given the responsibility of state minister for civil aviation and tourism, a post he held until October 2006.
Before rising to BNP’s leadership, Mirza Fakhrul long served as the first vice president and later president of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal.
Researcher and political analyst Mohiuddin Ahmad said: “Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been a mayor, a state minister, a minister — all of it. Politicians in our country often develop various kinds of negative images while carrying out their duties, but Mirza Fakhrul remained free of such allegations.”
Leadership through politics’ hardest period
From 2006 to 2024, BNP went through an extremely difficult period in politics.
Under the army-backed caretaker government, the party’s top leadership was detained and imprisoned, and at times faced the threat of the party splintering.
For nearly the entirety of the Awami League’s rule, BNP remained largely cornered in politics. During that challenging period, Mirza Fakhrul played an important role within the party.
Under the army-backed caretaker government, BNP suffered a rout in the ninth national parliamentary election of 2008. Although he received the party’s nomination for a parliamentary seat in that election, he was unable to win.
He then became BNP’s senior joint secretary general at the 2009 national council.
Just two years later, in 2011, BNP’s then-secretary general, Khondaker Delwar Hossain, died. After his death, Khaleda Zia gave Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir the responsibility of acting secretary general.
That same year, the caretaker government system was abolished by a court ruling.
In protest of holding elections under a partisan government, BNP boycotted the January 5, 2014, election and launched a movement.
BNP’s senior leadership faced arrests, cases and a crackdown. Nearly two years later, on March 30, 2016, Mirza Fakhrul became BNP’s full secretary general.
In February 2018, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was convicted and imprisoned. Ahead of the national election held later that year, BNP became entangled in various political and legal complications.
With Khaleda Zia imprisoned on one hand, and the party’s then-senior vice chairman, Tareque Rahman (the current prime minister), exiled in London on the other, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led the party from within the country during that difficult period.
Researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad said BNP could not be broken despite so much turmoil, because it had a secretary general like Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who led the party from within the country.
While leading the party domestically, he had to go to jail on several occasions in various cases. He also faced attacks and mistreatment at various times.
A politician with a clean image
Verbal sparring has always been a feature of Bangladeshi politics. At rallies and gatherings, the use of aggressive language against opponents is commonplace.
But in this respect, Mirza Fakhrul has been something of an exception.
Professor Shamsul Alam said: “The characteristic of his politics that we observed was that he was extremely gentle, humble and amiable. He never made derogatory remarks about leaders and activists of other parties. He spoke to everyone with respect and treated them with regard.”
For this reason, Mirza Fakhrul has built a reputation as a person of a different, gentlemanly character — not just within BNP, but among other political parties and the general public as well.
Researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad said the presidency is an office of honor, one that Mirza Fakhrul rightfully deserved. “We would want him to rise above partisan perspective and become a true guardian of the state,” he said.
Birth, upbringing, family
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was born on January 26, 1948, in the Kalibari area of Thakurgaon town. His father, Mirza Ruhul Amin, was a lawyer by profession. His mother, Mirza Fatema Amin, was a homemaker.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s father, Mirza Ruhul Amin, served twice as a member of the Pakistan Provincial Legislative Assembly and as a member of the Bangladesh national parliament. He also served as a member of the Ershad government’s cabinet.
After completing primary and secondary education in Thakurgaon, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir passed his higher secondary examinations from Dhaka College. He then enrolled in the economics department at Dhaka University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s wife is Rahat Ara Begum. She studied at the University of Calcutta and retired as a senior official at a private financial institution.
The couple has two daughters, Mirza Shamaruh and Mirza Saffaruh.
The elder daughter, Mirza Shamaruh, completed her studies at Dhaka University and joined as a teacher there. She currently works as a postdoctoral fellow in Australia.
The younger daughter, Mirza Saffaruh, also completed her studies at Dhaka University and now teaches at a school.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s younger brother, Mirza Faisal Amin, is also involved in BNP politics. He currently serves as president of Thakurgaon district BNP. Like his elder brother, he too served as mayor of Thakurgaon municipality.
During his student years, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was involved in theater. He performed on stage. He also took part in various cultural activities, including recitation.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report