Presidential oath ceremony preparations complete

The oath-taking ceremony of newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will be held at Bangabhaban at 7:30 PM on Friday, with all preparations completed.

President’s Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam said on Friday that the preparations for the ceremony were complete. The Cabinet Division is coordinating the event.

Acting Speaker Kaiser Kamal will administer the oath to Mirza Fakhrul, while Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani will conduct the ceremony. More than 1,200 guests have been invited, officials said.

According to the invitation, the president will enter the Darbar Hall at 7:30 PM. The national anthem and Quran recitation will be followed by the oath-taking.

Former President Md Sahabuddin, who was elected during the Awami League government, resigned on July 24 citing serious illness. His resignation created a constitutional requirement to elect a new president within 90 days.

The presidential election was held at the Parliament complex on Thursday. Voting took place from 2 PM to 5 PM, with BNP-nominated Mirza Fakhrul contesting against Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance candidate Col (retd) Oli Ahmed.

A total of 349 MPs, including general and reserved-seat members, were eligible to vote. Nine were absent. Mirza Fakhrul won 255 votes, while Oli Ahmed secured 88.

Chief Election Commissioner and returning officer AMM Nasir Uddin announced the result in Parliament on Thursday afternoon. The election result was gazetted later that evening.

The presidential election was last contested in 1991, when both BNP and Awami League fielded candidates after the parliamentary system was restored. The next seven presidential elections were uncontested as there was only one candidate each time. This year, voting was required as there were two candidates.

SKS