Fakhrul next President

The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has finally decided to nominate its Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the candidate for country's President. A formal announcement in this regard will be made by BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Party insiders told The Daily Observer that the BNP’s National Standing Committee had entrusted Prime Minister Tarique Rahman with the responsibility of finalising the party’s presidential candidate. Based on that mandate, Mirza Fakhrul’s name has reportedly been almost finalised, although the party has yet to make any formal announcement.

A member of the BNP Standing Committee, speaking to The Daily Observer on condition of anonymity on Sunday night, said the decision on the presidential nomination ultimately rests with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

“Although the Prime Minister has not formally communicated his preference Mirza Fakhrul is clearly ahead of others,” the Standing Committee member said.

Another senior BNP leader close to the prime minister has also reportedly confirmed that Mirza Fakhrul is being considered for the presidency.

Mirza Fakhrul, however, said he had not been yet informed of any such decision.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, he said the party had not communicated anything to him regarding the presidency. The BNP's Press Wing also said it was unaware of any decision to appoint Mirza Fakhrul as the country's 23rd president, despite reports circulating in the media.

Meanwhile, as part of preparations for the presidential election, the BNP collected two nomination papers from the Election Commission on Sunday morning.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Nurul Islam Moni, the Chief Whip of the parliament and a BNP vice-chairman, collected the nomination papers from the office of the returning officer at the Election Commission Secretariat in Agargaon.

The Election Commission has scheduled the presidential election for August 20. Voting is scheduled to take place in the Jatiya Sangsad between 2pm and 5pm on that day.

As the BNP holds a majority in parliament, the party's nominated candidate is considered highly likely to win the presidential election. BNP leaders believe the outcome is effectively certain unless there is an unexpected change in parliamentary support.

Former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned from office on July 24, citing health reasons. Following the vacancy, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has been serving as acting president.

Under the Constitution and the Presidential Election Act, 1991, a presidential election must be completed within 90 days of the office falling vacant.

If elected president, Mirza Fakhrul's departure would leave the BNP secretary general's post vacant.

He assumed the role of acting secretary general in 2011 and was formally elected secretary general in 2016. During the Awami League government's tenure, he was imprisoned several times and remained one of the BNP's most visible political leaders during the imprisonment of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman's stay abroad.