Deadline for nomination filing today

Bangladesh is set to witness its 23rd presidential election on August 20, with the possibility of a contested parliamentary vote emerging for the second time in more than three decades. 

The ruling BNP is expected to formally nominate its Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as its candidate today (Thursday) as the deadline for submitting nomination papers expires.

BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman convened an emergency meeting of the party’s Standing Committee at his residence on Thursday morning to finalise the nomination. Senior party leaders are expected to attend the meeting.

Several senior BNP leaders said Tarique has already decided in favour of Mirza Fakhrul, and that the party’s preparations are now focused on submitting his nomination following the meeting.

Two nomination papers were collected on behalf of the BNP from the Election Commission office on Sunday by Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Prime Minister’s Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance has already nominated Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed as its candidate. National Citizen Party (NCP) 

Convener Nahid Islam announced Oli’s candidacy on August 9 following a meeting of the alliance leaders.

Three nomination papers were collected by August 9, the last date for collection, with two collected for the BNP.

If the BNP and the opposition alliance submit valid nominations, Members of Parliament will vote to elect the president on August 20. Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin is serving as the election officer for the presidential election.

The Election Commission will scrutinise the nomination papers on August 16, while candidates will have until August 18 to withdraw their nominations.

Voting is scheduled to take place from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the session chamber of Jatiya Sangsad. As Parliament is currently not in session, a brief special session is expected to be convened for the presidential election.

The election was necessitated by the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin on July 24. Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has been serving as acting president since then.

Although the emergence of an opposition candidate has raised the prospect of a competitive presidential election, the BNP’s two-thirds majority in Parliament gives its nominee a clear numerical advantage.

A contested presidential election through parliamentary voting has occurred only once before, in 1991. Since then, all presidential elections in Bangladesh have been uncontested.

If Mirza Fakhrul is elected president, his departure would create vacancies in three key positions�"the BNP secretary general post, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and the Thakurgaon-1 parliamentary seat.

His possible election has already triggered discussions within the BNP over his successor as secretary general, as well as potential changes in the cabinet and parliamentary representation.