Voting in presidential election today

The country will hold a competitive presidential election today (August 20), for the first time in 35 years, with BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir facing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed.

Voting for the country’s 23rd president will take place in the Jatiya Sangsad chamber from 2pm to 5pm. A total of 349 lawmakers are eligible to vote, as one of Parliament’s 350 seats is currently vacant.

Fakhrul, backed by the BNP, enters the race as the clear favourite because of the party’s 247 seats in Parliament. Oli is the candidate of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.

Both candidates remained in the race after the deadline for withdrawing nominations passed without either withdrawing, paving the way for the first contested presidential election since 1991.

The Election Commission said ballot counting will begin immediately after voting ends at Parliament. The winner’s name is expected to be announced on Thursday, followed by publication of the election gazette the same day.

Under Article 70 of the Constitution, lawmakers elected on party tickets are generally bound by their party’s decision when voting. This makes the parliamentary strength of each party a decisive factor in the presidential election.

Lawmakers will receive ballot papers and cast their votes by signing beside the name of their preferred candidate before depositing the ballots in designated boxes. The acting president, prime minister, speaker and opposition leader are scheduled to cast their votes at the beginning of the process, which will be broadcast live.

Last contested presidential election was held in 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League nominee Justice Badrul Haider Chowdhury. Subsequent presidential elections effectively did not require voting because there was only one candidate.

The current election was triggered by the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin on July 24. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the role of acting president following his resignation.

The Election Commission announced the presidential election schedule on August 6. After scrutiny, the nominations of Fakhrul and Oli were declared valid.

The newly elected president is scheduled to take oath at Bangabhaban on Friday evening, according to information provided by the chief whip. The ceremony is expected to be held at the Darbar Hall.

With two candidates competing and 349 lawmakers set to cast ballots, today’s election marks a significant return of competitive presidential voting to Bangladesh after more than three decades.