Election Commission to announce presidential election schedule Wednesday

The chief election commissioner will be the returning officer in the election to pick the next president of Bangladesh

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for the 22nd presidential election on Wednesday.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, who will be the returning officer, made the announcement at the commission on Tuesday after a meeting with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in parliament.

“We have decided to hold our meeting at 11am on Wednesday. After that meeting, we will announce the election schedule for presidential elections.”

With the Awami League having an absolute majority in parliament, it is almost certain that its candidate will serve as the next head of state.

MPs voted to elect a president only once in 1991, when parliamentary democracy was reinstated. Since then, the president has been elected unopposed.

On Apr 24, 2013, President Md Abdul Hamid was sworn in as the 20th president of Bangladesh. Since independence, 16 people have headed the state for 19 terms. Hamid is the 17th person to serve as president.

He, however, is the only one who was re-elected through the vote in February 2018 and he cannot be re-elected in line with the constitution.

Hamid’s term expires on Apr 23, which means the election must be held between Jan 24 and Feb 23.