Dhaka. Voting is going to be held in Bangladesh on Thursday to elect a new President. This is the first time after a long time of 35 years that voting for the post of President of the country will be done directly in the Parliament. The main contest in the presidential race is between veteran leader of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the candidate of the 11-party opposition alliance, Colonel (retired) Oli Ahmed.
According to the Election Commission, voting will run from 2 pm to 5 pm in the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament House). The Election Commission had declared the nomination papers of both the candidates valid on August 16 itself.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is the key face of the BNP, while Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram is the candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition front.
Fakhrul became emotional in BNP meeting
During the BNP parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, Fakhrul appealed for support from his own party's MPs. Fakhrul, who was the general secretary of the party for a long time, became very emotional in the meeting and had tears in his eyes.
He told the MPs, 'If I have committed any mistake during my tenure or have unknowingly hurt anyone, then I apologize. He also pledged to never compromise with the independence and sovereignty of the country.
New President will take oath on Friday
Immediately after the election results, the new President will take oath as the 23rd President of Bangladesh at the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban on Friday evening.
Let us tell you that this post became vacant after the resignation of former President Mohammad Shahabuddin due to health reasons. Under the Constitution, it is mandatory to hold elections within 90 days of the vacancy occurring in the post. At present, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed is the acting President.
BNP has the upper hand
BNP returned to power in the general elections held on 12 February this year. BNP has more than two-thirds majority in Parliament. In such a situation, the victory of Prime Minister Tariq Rehman's declared candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is considered almost certain. Fakhrul, an economist by profession, had joined BNP in the 1990s. He has also previously been the Minister of State for Agriculture and Local Government.