Dhaka: Vote counting in the country's presidential election has started as the balloting ended at 5:00 pm at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban today with Members of Parliament (MPs) casting their votes through an open ballot to elect the country's 23rd President. Voting was held from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm without any break in the session chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and opposition Jamaat-led 11-party alliance contender Col (retd) Oli Ahmad contested the election. This presidential election marked a historic event as it is the first time in 35 years that more than one candidate contested the post.
At the beginning of the balloting, Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, and Acting Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal cast their votes at 2:10 pm, followed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at 2:11 pm. Just before the balloting, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, who is also the election returning officer, announced the names of the two candidates for president and explained the voting procedure for Members of Parliament.
With BNP holding an absolute majority in the Parliament, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is widely expected to be elected as the country's 23rd President. Under Article 70 of the Constitution, lawmakers will lose their seats if they vote for any candidate going against their respective party decision.
The last contested presidential election was held on October 8, 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League-backed candidate Justice Badrul Haider Chowdhury to become the country's 11th President. Abdur Rahman Biswas secured 172 votes, while Badrul Haider Chowdhury received 92. Since then, no voting was required in successive presidential elections as a single candidate was elected uncontested in each election.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin conducted the balloting and will announce the election result immediately after the vote count in the Parliament. The Election Commission will publish the election result in an official gazette today.
Each ballot paper had two parts: a counterfoil and the ballot portion. The counterfoil contained three pieces of information and a blank space: the serial number, the name of the MP, and the divisional number (constituency number) provided by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat. An MP signed his or her full name in the designated space before receiving the ballot paper. The names of the contesting candidates were printed on the right-hand side of the ballot paper in alphabetical order in Bangla, with a designated space beside each candidate's name where MPs needed to sign their full names to cast their votes.
A total of 349 MPs were voters in the presidential election as the Chattogram-4 parliamentary seat remains vacant. The voters include 247 BNP lawmakers, 77 Jamaat MPs, eight NCP lawmakers, eight independent MPs, three Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis MPs, and one each from Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolon, Khilafat Majlis, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party.
BJP, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Ganosamhati Andolon are allies of the ruling BNP, which has 250 lawmakers. On the other hand, Jamaat, NCP, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Khilafat Majlis, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party are components of the 11-party opposition alliance, which has 90 lawmakers in Parliament.
On July 24 last, Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as President, and Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, took charge as the acting President. According to Article 123(2) of the Constitution, an election to fill the vacant office of the President must be held within 90 days of the post becoming vacant due to resignation.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Nurul Islam Moni stated that the newly elected president will take oath at Bangabhaban on Friday evening. He announced this at a press conference at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday afternoon following a meeting of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Parliamentary Party. Bangabhaban is preparing to arrange the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected President on Friday evening.