On August 20, Bangladesh's parliament elected Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 78, of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as the new president, following the early resignation of former president Mohammed Shahabuddin due to health reasons.
According to the parliamentary vote count, Alamgir won with 255 votes in favor, against 88 for Oli Ahmed, 84, a former army colonel and chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, representing an 11-party opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. This was the first contested presidential election in Bangladesh in 35 years.
Speaking before the vote, Alamgir said: "I dream of a happy, prosperous, and welfare state where the underprivileged, hardworking laborers, and day workers can have two meals a day."
Alamgir joined the BNP in the early 1990s after being active in politics since his student days at Dhaka University, where he was a key student leader during the 1969 uprising against Pakistan's military regime. He has held several ministerial positions, most recently as Minister of Local Government, and previously as minister for agriculture, aviation, and tourism.
The BNP returned to power after the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was toppled in 2024 following youth-led protests. The party won a two-thirds majority in parliament and installed Tarique Rahman as prime minister after the general election on February 12.
Former president Shahabuddin, 76, was elected president in 2023 under Hasina's Awami League government. He resigned on July 24 citing serious illness, with two years left in his term. Bangladesh's constitution requires a new president to be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant.
The presidency in Bangladesh is largely ceremonial, but the officeholder is head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Meanwhile, Hasina is living in exile in India and has said she plans to return to the country in December.
