Dhaka: Voting in the presidential election in Parliament is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected President planned for Friday evening at Bangabhaban. Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni announced this at a briefing following a meeting of the ruling BNP’s parliamentary party at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday afternoon.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Chief Whip stated that the voting, a significant event after 35 years, will commence at 2pm and conclude at 5pm. The Election Commission and Parliament have jointly decided to arrange live telecasts of parts of the voting process, beginning five minutes before the start of voting. This broadcast will feature key figures such as the President, Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir casting their votes. The remaining proceedings will be recorded, with another live telecast scheduled five minutes before the close of voting. The election results will also be aired live.
Moni emphasized the historic nature of the event, expressing optimism about a new democratic journey. The newly elected President is set to take the oath of office at Bangabhaban at 7:30pm on Friday. The BNP parliamentary party meeting, chaired by Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman, took place on the ninth floor of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. BNP presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also attended.
Discussing the upcoming election, Moni highlighted the country’s entry into a new democratic phase under Tarique Rahman’s leadership. He reflected on the 17-year struggle under Rahman’s leadership, resulting in their electoral victory and ascent to power through a democratic process. Moni expressed the desire to establish democracy as an institutional framework, with collaboration between the government and the opposition to ensure progress.
The presidential election will allow citizens to witness the voting process once again. Mirza Fakhrul, nominated by the BNP and allied parties, will contest against retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, the candidate of an 11-party alliance including Jamaat-e-Islami. A total of 349 Members of Parliament are eligible to vote in the election, marking the first time in 35 years that the presidential election features more than one candidate. The last such election took place on October 8, 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League candidate Badrul Haider Chowdhury to become the country’s 11th President, securing 172 votes to Chowdhury’s 92.
Present at the briefing were Whips Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu, Mia Nuruddin Ahmed Apu, ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan, and GK Gaus, along with MPs Amirul Islam Alim and Khandaker Abu Ashfaque and Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony.