BNP leaves presidential pick to Tarique

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday authorised its Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to select the party's candidate for the upcoming presidential election, with the Standing Committee deciding to wait for the Election Commission's schedule before making a formal announcement.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's highest policymaking body at the BNP chairperson's 
Gulshan office. Briefing reporters after the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the Standing Committee had entrusted the responsibility of selecting the party's presidential candidate to Tarique Rahman.

The meeting, chaired by Tarique Rahman, began at 8:10pm. Standing Committee members Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku and AZM Zahid Hossain attended in person, while Abdul Moyeen Khan joined virtually.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the party would take a final decision on its nomination once the Election Commission announced the election schedule. He explained that nomination papers would be submitted and scrutinised after the schedule is announced. If only one valid candidate is nominated, the President will be elected unopposed. If there is more than one candidate.