Bangladesh holds second presidential election

The second-ever presidential election after three and a half decades will take place in the Parliament Chamber from 2 pm to 5 pm on Thursday.

The swearing-in ceremony of the 23rd president is expected to take place on Friday.  

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC), the Parliament, and the president’s office have completed all preparations for both the election and the oath-taking ceremony. The Speaker and Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad will administer the oath of office.

In this election, BNP former secretary general and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is contesting on behalf of the ruling party. On the other hand, LDP Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad is contesting as the candidate of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance.

Describing the election as historic, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said, “The world is looking at the presidential election of Bangladesh.”

With this election, Bangladesh is witnessing its presidential election through direct. Despite knowing that the victory of Fakhrul is certain due to the political landscape, the majority in parliament, and Article 70, the opposition alliance’s decision to field a candidate has sparked widespread discussion.

The opposition alliance claims this step is aimed at strengthening the democratic system. They said if the constitution had been reformed in line with a referendum, there would be no fear of Article 70, and if MPs could vote freely, the outcome might have been different.

Under this article, MPs cannot vote outside their party line; doing so results in the immediate cancellation of their parliamentary membership.

According to EC, there are 349 MP voters in this election. The total voter count is one short of the total seats due to the Chattogram-4 constituency being vacant. The voter list has been compiled based on the parliament’s “division numbers”.

Among them, the BNP-led alliance holds 250 seats, including reserved seats, which comprises 247 BNP MPs along with one member each from BJP, Ganosamhati Andolan, and Gono Odhikar Parishad.

Out of the 90 MPs in the Jamaat-led alliance, 77 are from Jamaat, 8 from NCP, 3 from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, 1 from Khelafat Majlis, and 1 from JAGPA. There are 8 independent MPs and 1 MP from Islami Andolan. A candidate requires 175 votes to win the election.

Islami Andolan has decided to boycott the election because the presidential election is not being held under the July Charter. Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas sent a letter to the speaker saying he cannot cast his vote due to illness.

Moreover, Gazi Nazrul Islam, an MP expelled from Jamaat, had not announced any decision regarding his vote. While Fakhrul will be able to vote since he is an MP, Oli cannot vote as he is not a MP.

CEC shared the overall preparations with journalists at the Election Building on Wednesday. He said MPs will vote openly while sitting in their seats. The ballot paper will bear the voter’s name and indicate whom they voted for, and these ballots must be cast into four boxes set up inside the Parliament Chamber.

The election official, three election commissioners, and two secretaries of the Parliament Secretariat will sit in the designated area in front of the speaker’s seat. MPs will remain in their respective seats, and 20 officials from EC will assist in the process.

The voting will begin with the acting president, the prime minister, the speaker, and the opposition leader casting their votes, which will be broadcast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV).

The counting process will also be aired live, and MPs will be permitted to remain present during the count. Following the counting, unofficial results will be declared publicly. Speaking to reporters, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni added, “We see this election as a new journey of democracy for the government.”

On the other hand, after the High Court dismissed a writ petition seeking a suspension on the presidential election schedule, Supreme Court lawyer Yunes Ali Akond filed an appeal with the Appellate Division, though the case was not heard. Another writ petition filed by another lawyer seeking to suspend the election was directly rejected by the High Court.