Next President: Election Commission Sets Key Dates
The Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the next presidential election. This important announcement came today, Thursday. Voting will happen on August 20 if more than one candidate stands.
The voting would take place in the parliament session room. It would run from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm that day. Akhter Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, shared these details.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin will oversee the election. He will act as the returning officer. Candidates must submit their nomination papers by August 13.
The submission time is from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Election Commission will check all nomination papers on August 16. Candidates can withdraw their names until August 18.
If only one candidate is nominated, that person will become president without a vote. This decision would be made on August 18. No voting would be needed in that case.
Each candidate needs support from two Members of Parliament (MPs). One MP must propose the candidate’s name. Another MP must second it. The candidate must also sign their agreement.
Bangladesh became a parliamentary democracy in 1991. Since then, only one presidential election has seen actual voting. Usually, the ruling party’s candidate is elected president without any opposition.
Members of Parliament elect the president. This is stated in the Presidential Election Act of 1991. The Chief Election Commissioner manages this process.
The Chief Election Commissioner’s office will handle nominations and checks. If voting is required, it will be held inside the parliament chamber. Former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24. The law requires the Election Commission to hold a presidential election within 90 days. This period starts after a president resigns.
