11-party alliance nominates Oli Ahmed for president

The 11-party opposition alliance has nominated Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed as its candidate for the presidential election.

The decision was announced on Sunday after a meeting of the alliance leaders at the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition.

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam, one of the alliance partners, announced Oli Ahmed’s nomination after the meeting.

The alliance leaders discussed the selection of a potential presidential candidate, political understanding among the partners and their next course of action.

The meeting was chaired by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman. Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Oli Ahmed, Opposition Chief Whip and NCP Convener Nahid Islam, alliance coordinator Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad and other senior leaders attended the meeting.

Oli Ahmed, who was born in Chattogram, served in the Pakistan Army’s 8th East Bengal Regiment in 1971. He joined the Liberation War on March 25 and later fought under Z Force of the Mukti Bahini after the resistance forces were reorganised in India.

After independence, he served in the Bangladesh Army and retired as a colonel before entering politics.

Oli joined politics after leaving the army when Ziaur Rahman formed the BNP. He later served as communications minister when the BNP formed the government in 1991.

After a long career in BNP politics, Oli Ahmed founded the LDP with former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury on October 26, 2006. The two later developed differences.

The LDP contested the 2026 national election as part of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance.