Published : 13 Aug 2026, 08:26 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:32 AM
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's bid for the presidency has been formalised with the BNP filing its nomination.
With the party commanding a two-thirds majority in parliament, its nominee's win is all but certain, leaving little beyond formality standing in the way.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, serving as the returning officer for the presidential election, received the papers on Thursday afternoon.
The papers, complete with declaration and statement, carried the nominated candidate's signature along with the names, addresses and signatures of his proposer and seconder.
A BNP delegation that included senior leaders Abdul Moyeen Khan and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee and Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel arrived at the Election Building at 2:30pm with the papers.
EC Secretary Akhter Ahmed was present alongside the CEC when the papers were received.
Prime Minister's Press Secretary Saleh Shibli said BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman had announced Fakhrul as the party's presidential candidate at the start of a high-level meeting at the Cabinet Division's conference room in the Secretariat at 12:30pm that day.
Fakhrul stepped down from his posts as BNP secretary general and National Standing Committee member at the same meeting.
Proposer, Seconder Named
The BNP had collected two sets of nomination forms. One was filled out and submitted.
The applications reached the CEC's office at 2:30pm.
They said:
• Presidential candidate: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, of Thakurgaon’s Kalibari.
• Proposer: Abdul Moyeen Khan, BNP MP for Narsingdi-2.
• Seconder: Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, MP for Dhaka-3.
Schedule
Bangladesh's 22nd president Mohammed Shahabuddin stepped down on Jul 24, citing serious illness.
As per the Constitution, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has held the acting presidency pending a fresh election, with Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal filling in as speaker meanwhile.
The Constitution mandates a vote within 90 days of the post falling vacant.
Following consultations with the speaker, CEC Nasir Uddin unveiled the election schedule on Aug 6.
Nomination papers are due between 10am and 4pm on Aug 13, at the returning officer's chamber.
Scrutiny follows from 10am on Aug 16, at the same venue, with candidacy withdrawals permitted until 4pm on Aug 18.
Should a vote prove necessary, it will run from 2pm to 5pm on Aug 20, inside the parliament chamber.
A Contest, Again
Under the Presidential Election Act 1991, the president is chosen by a vote of MPs, with the CEC presiding as returning officer.
Every candidate's nomination requires an MP as proposer and another as seconder, alongside the nominee's own consenting signature.
Papers are filed and scrutinised at the CEC's office, with any vote held in the parliament session chamber.
Should scrutiny leave a single valid candidate standing, the EC will declare them elected unopposed.
Where more than one remains in the fray, a vote decides the outcome.
Since the return of parliamentary democracy, only the 1991 election went to a contested vote; every subsequent race saw the ruling party's nominee elected unopposed.
This year's poll marks only the second contested vote in 35 years.
Opposition Jamaat-e-Islami's alliance filed the papers of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Oli Ahmad on the same day, pitting him against the BNP's nominee.
349 Voters This Time
Lawmakers have already held a preparatory sitting in the chamber ahead of the vote.
The returning officer has summoned MPs at 2pm on Aug 20 for the presidential poll.
Of parliament's 300 general seats, one candidacy stands cancelled, while 50 seats remain reserved for women.
That leaves 349 MPs in the 13th Parliament eligible to cast a ballot.
Including reserved seats, the BNP holds 247 seats and Jamaat 77.
The remainder comprises eight independents, eight from the National Citizen Party (NCP), three from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and one each from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), Ganosamhati Andolon, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Khelafat Majlis and Jatiay Ganotantrik Party (JAGPA).
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said Article 70 of the Constitution would extend to the presidential vote too, barring MPs from defying their party's line. Anyone who does so risks forfeiting their parliamentary seat.
"Since Article 70 hasn't been amended, it will apply in the presidential election," he added.
