DHAKA: Bangladesh’s parliament is set to elect the country’s new president on Thursday, with ruling party leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir widely expected to take the largely ceremonial position.
Alamgir, 78, secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and local government minister, is expected to win the afternoon vote and become the 23rd president of the country of 170 million people.
“I never thought that I would become the president — it is the infinite grace of the party and almighty Allah,” he told reporters on Tuesday, according to the state news agency BSS.
“Even after becoming president, I wish to remain beside the people and serve them.”
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s BNP won a landslide victory in February in the first elections since the 2024 revolution ousted the government of Sheikh Hasina.
The presidential vote follows the resignation in July of the previous president, Mohammed Shahabuddin, 76, a close ally of Hasina who had faced pressure to quit.
Widely known as “Chuppu”, Shahabuddin was elected in 2023 and stepped down citing ill health, cutting short his term, which was due to end in 2028.
Hasina remains in hiding in India, having refused to attend her trial in Dhaka — where in November she was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to be hanged.
Rights groups had long accused Hasina’s administration of abuses including the murder of rivals, suppression of opposition parties, rigged courts and one-sided elections.
Alamgir faces one other candidate, Oli Ahmed, nominated by the opposition 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. Voting is expected to begin around 2:00 pm (0800 GMT).
Born on January 26, 1948, Alamgir entered politics while studying economics at Dhaka University.
After teaching economics, he entered government service before moving into politics, holding posts including minister of agriculture, aviation and tourism.
He later rose to prominence as an opposition leader during Hasina’s rule, while BNP leader Khaleda Zia was in prison and her son Rahman was in exile.
Alamgir was repeatedly arrested under Hasina’s government and faced dozens of charges that he said were politically motivated.
BSS said he had been praised for “keeping the BNP organised and maintaining the party’s political presence during difficult times”.
Alamgir is married to Rahat Ara Begum, a retired financial official. They have two daughters.
