Presidential Election: Voting begins

Voting for the presidential election has begun in the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) at 2:00 pm and will continue till 5:00 pm. A total of 349 MPs are eligible to vote. Voting for the presidency is taking place today, Thursday, for the first time in 35 years.

There are two candidates in the election: ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Oli Ahmad.

The BNP has 247 MPs in parliament. Given the numerical advantage, Mirza Fakhrul’s election as president is virtually certain. Nevertheless, with two candidates in the fray, voting must be held in accordance with the election schedule.

BNP presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and the ministers are present in parliament. Before the voting bean, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, who is serving as the election officer, delivered a speech.

The CEC announced the names of the two presidential candidates, along with their proposers and seconders. He explained the procedure for how MPs will cast their votes. He instructed them to sign their full names on the ballot papers and explained how to place the ballot papers in the ballot box. He said vote counting would begin after 5:00 pm.