Dhaka, Aug 20: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a longtime secretary common of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP) and an in depth ally of former premier Khaleda Zia, was on Thursday elected because the nation’s new President within the first contested ballot for the submit in 35 years.
The 78-year-old BNP stalwart defeated his lone rival Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, the 84-year-old Liberal Democratic Get together chairman and the nominee of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance, Chief Election Commissioner and likewise Election Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin introduced after the counting of votes.
Of the whole 349 registered voters, 343 voted within the election. Six lawmakers did not vote, he mentioned.
Alamgir secured 255 votes whereas Oli Ahmad bagged 88 votes.
He’ll take the oath as Bangladesh’s twenty third President on Friday night on the Darbar Corridor of Bangabhaban.
It’s the first contested presidential election in Bangladesh since 1991, because the workplace had largely been crammed by way of consensus and uncontested polls in current a long time.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman congratulated Alamgir on his victory within the presidential polls. Lawmakers additionally congratulated the President-elect by thumping their desks.
As opposition lawmakers, together with Chief of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Deputy Chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, approached the treasury bench, Alamgir got here ahead and embraced Rahman, the state-run BSS information company reported.
The presidential election was necessitated after Mohammed Shahabuddin, an in depth aide of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned final month on well being grounds earlier than finishing his five-year tenure.
Underneath the Structure, a brand new president is required to be elected inside 90 days of the workplace falling vacant.
Parliamentary Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad is at the moment serving as appearing president, as required underneath the Structure following a emptiness within the workplace.
The president is elected by Members of Parliament underneath Bangladesh’s constitutional system.
The BNP, which was voted to energy within the February 12 elections, at the moment instructions a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
A day earlier, Alamgir pledged that he would by no means compromise on the nation’s independence and sovereignty.
He had been one of many BNP’s most outstanding leaders for greater than 20 years, having served as appearing secretary common from 2011 earlier than formally taking up the submit in 2016.
He performed a outstanding position in main the BNP through the imprisonment of its then-chairperson and former prime minister Zia and the absence of Rahman, who was overseas on the time.
The president is essentially a ceremonial head of state underneath Bangladesh’s parliamentary system, with key constitutional powers, together with appointing the prime minister and the chief justice.
Although the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces, these powers are usually exercised on the recommendation of the prime minister.
Political analysts, nevertheless, mentioned the presidency might assume larger significance underneath the caretaker authorities system just lately reintroduced to supervise common elections, when the president’s energy would enhance considerably in commanding the armed forces throughout such a interval.
The analysts additionally opine that Alamgir’s election could possibly be a well-calculated transfer of BNP, which in its election manifesto had promised to equip the president with extra energy by amending the Structure.
An economist by coaching, Alamgir made his political debut as a left-leaning scholar activist when Bangladesh was nonetheless East Pakistan. Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan with India’s assist in 1971.
After becoming a member of the BNP within the early 90s, Alamgir served as state minister for agriculture and civil aviation.
When the BNP returned to energy within the February 12 elections this 12 months, Alamgir was made the native authorities minister.
