Dhaka: Bangladesh is holding its first contested presidential election in 35 years, with Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir facing former army officer Oli Ahmad, the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance.
A total of 349 members of parliament are eligible to cast their votes in the parliamentary chamber between 8am and 11am GMT, with the result expected later in the day. The election was triggered by the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin last month. Shahabuddin had been elected unopposed in 2023 as a nominee of the former ruling Awami League and stepped down midway through his five-year term.
The vote marks the first contested presidential election in Bangladesh since October 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League nominee Badrul Haider Chowdhury. Presidential elections held since then had been uncontested.
Despite the historic nature of the vote, Alamgir is widely expected to win because of the BNP’s strong majority in parliament. Of the 349 lawmakers eligible to vote, 247 belong to the BNP, while 90 are members of the Jamaat-led opposition alliance.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 78, is one of the BNP’s most senior leaders and has served as the party’s secretary-general since 2016. He became one of the BNP’s leading public figures during its years in opposition and was appointed minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives after the party returned to power.
His rival, retired Colonel Oli Ahmad, 85, is a decorated veteran of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. He is the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and has served as a member of parliament six times. Ahmad previously served as communications minister under former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia before founding the LDP in 2006.
Ahmad’s nomination is notable because his main political backer, Jamaat-e-Islami, opposed Bangladesh’s independence during the 1971 war, while Ahmad himself fought in the Liberation War.
Symbolic significance of the vote
Bangladesh’s president is the head of state but has limited executive authority under the constitution. The president is generally required to act on the prime minister’s advice, with limited exceptions.
Political analysts have therefore described the election as more symbolic than transformative. The return of a contested presidential vote nevertheless represents a significant moment for Bangladesh as the country continues restructuring its political institutions following the 2024 uprising.
The election also comes amid debate over political reforms and the role of lawmakers in presidential elections. Questions have been raised over constitutional Article 70, which can result in lawmakers losing their parliamentary seats if they vote against their party.
For families affected by the 2024 uprising, the election is seen as a long-awaited step towards institutional change. However, concerns remain over whether lawmakers can exercise an independent choice when party positions largely determine the outcome.
With the BNP holding a decisive parliamentary majority, Alamgir is expected to become Bangladesh’s next president. Even so, the vote will mark a rare departure from decades of uncontested presidential elections and provide a symbolic test of the country’s evolving democratic process.
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