Election of president 19 February: CEC

Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president of Bangladesh
File photo

Election of the 22nd president of Bangladesh will be held on 19 February, said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal.

The CEC was announcing the schedule of the elections, finalised at a meeting of the commission, in the capital on Wednesday.

CEC Kazi Habibul Awal will act as the election official in the presidential polls.

The candidates can submit nomination forms at the office of the election official (the office of CEC Kazi Habibul Awal) during the office hours on 12 February, said the election schedule.

The nomination forms will be sorted on 31 February while those can be withdrawn by 14 February, the schedule added.

The MPs are voters in the polls. Current number of MPs in the 350-seat Jatiya Sangsad is 343 as seven MPs of opposition BNP resigned in December last year.

A session of parliament is called for the presidential election. But no such session is called if there is only one candidate for the post. The candidate is elected unopposed.

Voting was required in presidential election for only once since inception of parliamentary governance system in Bangladesh.

Abdul Hamid was elected as president unopposed for the second time in February 2018.

Incumbent president M Abdul Hamid is set to retire on 23 April this year.

As per section 123 (1) of the Constitution, the presidential election has to be held before 60 to 90 days of retirement of incumbent president.