BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been elected as the 23rd President of Bangladesh, securing 255 votes. He was elected through a competitive parliamentary vote after 35 years. Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin announced the result.

Voting for the presidential election ended at 5pm on Thursday (August 20) in the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Mirza Fakhrul’s sole rival was Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the candidate backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance.

Mirza Fakhrul received 255 votes, while Oli Ahmed secured 88 votes. Fakhrul won by a margin of 167 votes.

The election proceedings began at 2pm with the recitation of the Holy Quran. CEC A M M Nasir Uddin then announced the names of the two candidates and briefed the lawmakers on the voting procedures.

Election officials subsequently delivered ballot papers to the lawmakers at their respective seats. Members cast their votes by writing their full names and signing the ballots.

Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram cast the first vote, followed by Acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other lawmakers. BNP’s presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also cast his vote.

A total of 349 members of parliament were eligible to vote. However, BNP lawmaker Mirza Abbas could not participate due to illness. Oli Ahmed, meanwhile, was not eligible to vote because he is not a member of parliament.

Three ballot boxes were arranged for the voting process. Ballot papers were distributed to lawmakers in stages to avoid congestion. The ballots contained the names of both candidates, and lawmakers deposited their marked and signed ballots in the designated boxes.

CEC A M M Nasir Uddin supervised the election, with officials from the Election Commission and Parliament Secretariat assisting in the process. The first 20 minutes of voting were also broadcast live.

Voting concluded at 5pm, after which the ballot boxes were opened. The votes were then counted publicly before the result was announced.

The last competitive presidential election was held on October 8, 1991. Subsequently, in 1996, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2018 and 2023, no voting was required because there were no multiple candidates. As a result, lawmakers returned to the ballot box for a competitive presidential election after 35 years.

With BNP holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, Mirza Fakhrul’s victory had been widely anticipated. However, the margin between the two candidates emerged as a politically significant aspect of this election.

Government Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said President-elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will take the oath of office at Bangabhaban at 7:30pm on Friday (August 21).