Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Elected Bangladesh’s 23rd President
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been elected the 23rd President of Bangladesh. He won the election by a wide margin. The veteran politician is a candidate from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Parliament members congratulated him with loud applause after his victory.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin announced the result. The presidential election was held on Thursday at the Jatiya Sangsad. Voting took place from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir competed against Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed. Mr. Ahmed was the candidate for an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat. Out of 349 total Members of Parliament, 343 cast their votes.
Mr. Alamgir received 255 votes. Colonel Oli Ahmed received 88 votes. All 343 used ballot papers were valid. Six ballots remained unused.
At 5:00 PM, the Chief Election Commissioner declared voting closed. Ballot counting began immediately. Lawmakers watched the counting from their seats. Several whips observed the process.
The CEC officially announced the election results at 5:20 PM. He confirmed Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the new president. Mr. Alamgir was sitting next to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman when the announcement was made.
Upon hearing his victory, Mr. Alamgir stood up. He saluted Prime Minister Rahman. The Prime Minister also stood and shook his hand. Prime Minister Rahman then presented Mr. Alamgir with a red rose to congratulate him.
After greeting the Prime Minister, Mr. Alamgir embraced several key leaders. These included Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman. He also hugged Deputy Opposition Leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher. Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam was also among those greeted.
Mr. Alamgir then exchanged embraces with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman again. He also greeted Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. Other cabinet members and BNP lawmaker Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu were also present.
