BNP collects two nomination forms for presidential election

The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Sunday (August 9) collected two nomination forms from the Election Commission for the country’s 23rd presidential election, formally entering the race to fill the vacant top constitutional post.

BNP Chief Whip and Vice Chairman Nurul Islam Moni and the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General and adviser to the prime minister, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, collected the forms on behalf of the party from the Election Commission building in the capital's Agargaon.

The Election Commission announced the presidential election schedule last Thursday. According to the timetable, August 13 is the deadline for submitting nomination papers, while voting will be held on August 20.

The presidential post has remained vacant since former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned. Under the Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days of the office becoming vacant, with the deadline falling on October 24.

The BNP had earlier left the decision on its presidential nominee to party Chairman Tarique Rahman. Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has repeatedly said the presidential election will be held within the constitutional timeframe and that the party will make the final decision on its candidate.

Under Bangladesh’s constitutional framework, the president is elected by members of parliament. The parliamentary vote will therefore determine the country’s next head of state.

With the nomination process now underway, other political parties are also expected to collect and submit their nomination papers within the schedule set by the Election Commission.