President’s office ready for Fakhrul’s swearing-in

Darbar Hall of President’s office is prepared for the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected 23rd President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

President’s Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam confirmed the matter, saying, “All preparations for the oath-taking ceremony have been completed. Cabinet Division is conducting this oath-taking ceremony.”

Cabinet Division officials announced that they have invited more than 1,200 guests to the event. Fakhrul will take his oath at 7:30 pm on Friday.

Following the playing of the national anthem and the recitation from the Holy Quran, Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal will administer the oath. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Goni will conduct the formal proceedings.

This ceremony follows the vacancy left by former president Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected during the Awami League regime and then resigned from his post on 24 July.

Parliament held the presidential election from 2 pm to 5 pm on Thursday. In this election, BNP nominated Fakhrul as their candidate, while the 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami backed Col (retd) Oli Ahmad.

Out of 349 MPs, Fakhrul secured 255 votes to win the presidency.

Following the vote count, the Election Officer and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin officially declared the election results inside the parliament chamber. The authorities issued the gazette notification later that night.

The election marks a historic milestone; since the reintroduction of the parliamentary system, a contested vote occurred only once in 1991 when both BNP and the Awami League fielded candidates. After 35 years, the country has held a presidential election featuring multiple candidates.