Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir elected President of Bangladesh

After 35 years, Bangladesh has elected its 23rd President through a contested vote among Members of Parliament, with BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir securing the presidency. Of the 343 valid votes cast, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir received 255 votes, while Colonel (Retd) Oli Ahmed received 88 votes.

The presidential election was held on Thursday (20 August) in the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Following the conclusion of voting, the ballots were counted openly. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Officer A. M. M. Nasir Uddin announced the result after the count.

At the beginning of the voting, Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed cast the first ballot among the MPs. He was followed by Acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other Members of Parliament.

The election marked the return of a directly contested presidential vote among MPs after a gap of 35 years.
The politician, who began his professional career as a teacher, was born on January 26, 1948 in the Kalibari area of Thakurgaon town in northern Bangladesh. He spent his childhood and adolescence in his hometown before moving to the capital for college. After completing his secondary education at Thakurgaon Government Boys' High School and higher secondary education at Dhaka College, Mirza Fakhrul obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of Dhaka.

It was during his university years that he became involved in student politics. He was imprisoned for political reasons during the Mass Uprising of 1969, when he was president of the Dhaka University unit of the East Pakistan Students Union.

After independence, Mirza Fakhrul passed the Bangladesh Civil Service examination in 1972 and joined the Education Cadre. He began his professional career as a lecturer in the Economics Department of Dhaka College. He subsequently taught at several government colleges.

In 1979, during the presidency of Ziaur Rahman, he served as private secretary to then Deputy Prime Minister S. A. Bari. After Bari resigned in 1982, Mirza Fakhrul returned to teaching. While serving at Thakurgaon Government College until 1986, he also worked as Deputy Director of the government's Directorate of Inspection and Audit and was associated with the Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO.

In 1986, ahead of the municipal elections, Mirza Fakhrul left the teaching profession and entered active politics. In 1988, he was elected chairman of Thakurgaon Municipality as an independent candidate.

During the anti-autocracy movement of the 1990s, he joined the BNP. In 1992, he was elected president of the BNP's Thakurgaon district unit. He also served as a vice-president of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal.

After being elected Member of Parliament from the Thakurgaon-1 constituency in the 2001 general election, he served as Minister of State for Agriculture and later as Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism in the BNP government.

At the BNP's fifth national council in 2009, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected Senior Joint Secretary General of the party. Following the death of then BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain in March 2011, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia appointed him Acting Secretary General.

On March 19, 2016, he was elected Secretary General at the BNP's sixth national council. He went on to become the longest-serving Secretary General in the history of the BNP.

After the BNP formed the government following its victory in the 13th parliamentary election in 2026, Mirza Fakhrul was given charge of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives.

He has been imprisoned, confined and repeatedly subjected to attacks because of his political activities. Yet, he never abandoned the party during its difficult times. He continued to lead its grassroots activists and workers through periods of political turmoil.

As a close political colleague of the late Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia throughout her long political career, Mirza Fakhrul played an important role in the BNP's political journey. He made numerous sacrifices but, according to his supporters, never compromised his principles for personal gain.

In recognition of his long political career and sacrifices, the BNP nominated him for the 23rd presidential election. His election today marks what his supporters see as a fitting recognition of his decades of political service.

In his personal life, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is married to Rahat Ara Begum. The couple have two daughters, Shamaruh Mirza and Safaruh Mirza. Both studied at the University of Dhaka. Their elder daughter, Mirza Shamaruh, has taught at the University of Dhaka and is currently engaged in postdoctoral research in Australia. Their younger daughter, Mirza Safaruh, teaches at a school in Dhaka.

Despite his distinguished political career, the veteran politician is known for leading a relatively simple life. He has maintained close contact with ordinary people and is widely regarded by his supporters as someone who has avoided discrimination or distance in dealing with them.

If everything proceeds as expected, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will soon move into Bangabhaban, the official residence of the President of Bangladesh, beginning a new chapter in his long political career.