Former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected Bangladesh’s 23rd President on Thursday after securing 255 votes in the presidential election held at the Jatiya Sangsad, the country’s Parliament, reported ANI.
Alamgir defeated Oli Ahmed, the candidate backed by an 11-party opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP). Ahmed secured 88 votes.
A total of 343 members of Parliament voted in the election under the supervision of Chief Election Commissioner ASM Nasir Uddin.
The Chief Election Commissioner later announced the results and formally declared Alamgir the country’s newly elected President.
The president-elect will take the oath of office as Bangladesh’s new President on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, the presidential palace in Dhaka.
The election was the first contested presidential poll in Bangladesh since 1991, breaking from decades of largely consensus-based and uncontested elections. The vote was necessitated by the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who stepped down last month on health grounds before completing his five-year term.
From student leader to President
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, born on January 26, 1948, began his political journey as a student of economics at Dhaka University. He was involved in the 1969 student uprising against Pakistan’s military rule, which became an important chapter in Bangladesh’s road to independence. He later taught economics before joining government service and eventually entering electoral politics.
Alamgir went on to hold ministerial portfolios including agriculture, aviation and tourism. He emerged as a prominent opposition leader during Sheikh Hasina’s rule, particularly when BNP chief Khaleda Zia was jailed and her son Tarique Rahman remained in exile. Alamgir was also arrested several times and faced dozens of cases, which he described as politically motivated.
A long-time BNP organiser, Alamgir was credited with keeping the party active during years of political pressure. He is married to Rahat Ara Begum, a retired financial official, and the couple have two daughters.
(With inputs from agencies)
