Presidential election
Preparations for the presidential election are nearing completion. Voting will take place continuously from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the National Parliament building’s session hall. Jamaat-e-Islami, the opposition in parliament, has announced its alliance candidate despite knowing defeat is certain.
The ruling BNP has not yet announced its candidate, but responsible sources say the party’s secretary general and local government minister, Mirza Fakhrul Islam, is being considered. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will conduct the public vote in the session hall. Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has called the third session of the 13th parliament for August 27.
If Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is elected president, he will have to resign both as party secretary general and from the cabinet. Major changes could therefore come to decision-making positions in the BNP and government.
Under the party constitution, senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi would serve as acting secretary general. BNP has already said it plans to hold its seventh national council by December this year, so Rizvi would remain in the acting role until the council. He currently serves as the prime minister’s political adviser.
The ruling BNP has discussed who will become the new president since before the election schedule was announced. Although many names were initially heard, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is now widely favoured. No one is willing to speak before nomination papers are submitted on Thursday morning.
Two standing committee members told Samakal on condition of anonymity that BNP would nominate someone with long political experience, public acceptability, constitutional ability and a reputation above controversy. They said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was considered qualified and trusted on that basis.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report