Politics · India Bureau
BNP's Fakhrul Islam Alamgir elected Bangladesh President in contested poll
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the 78-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party stalwart, has been elected as the country's new President in the first contested presidential election in 35 years, defeating opposition nominee Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed.
LSN India ·
Alamgir secured 255 votes to edge out his rival Oli Ahmed, who garnered 88 votes in Thursday's election, according to Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Ahmed, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, had been nominated by the 11-party opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. Of the 349 registered lawmakers, 343 cast their votes, with six abstaining from the poll.
The election marks a significant departure from Bangladesh's recent political practice, as the presidency had largely been filled through consensus and uncontested ballots over the past three decades. The last contested presidential election in the country took place in 1991.
Alamgir will be sworn in as Bangladesh's new President on Friday evening at Bangabhaban's Darbar Hall. His election comes following the previous president's departure, ushering in a new chapter in the nation's constitutional governance.