Mirza Fajrul Islam Alamgir, candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has been chosen this Thursday as the new head of state in a parliamentary vote, after the previous president, Mohamed Shahabudin, submitted his resignation citing "medical problems and complications" after having completed just over half of his term.
The session, which started at 14:00 hours (local time), has given the opportunity to vote to the 350 members of the House, the Jatiya Sangsad. As the newspaper 'The Daily Star' had anticipated, the wide representation of the Nationalist Party in Parliament suggested the victory of its candidate.
Alamgir received 255 votes against his rival, Oli Ahmed, proposed by the opposition. Ahmed, a former Army officer, is part of the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami.
Mohamed Shahabudin took office in April 2023 before the then president of Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Choudhury. He was designated as a candidate by Hasina's Awami League, the party that governed the country and which has since been banned following intense protests related to the Anti-Terrorism Law.
In the parliamentary system of Bangladesh, the Head of State is primarily a symbolic function, as executive power rests with the figure of the prime minister. On this occasion, only two candidates have presented themselves to compete for the presidency.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has promoted the candidacy of Mirza Fajrul Islam Alamgir, who was the main favorite to assume the presidency as the party holds more than two-thirds of the seats in the House.