Mirza Fakhrul Elected Bangladesh’s 23rd President with 255 Votes

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been elected the country’s 23rd president through a contested parliamentary vote, 35 years after the last competitive presidential election.

The voting was held on Thursday (August 20) in the National Parliament chamber. After voting ended, the ballots were counted publicly. Chief Election Commissioner and Election Officer A M M Nasir Uddin announced the result.

Of 343 valid votes, Mirza Fakhrul secured 255, while his rival Colonel (retd.) Oli Ahmed, the candidate backed by the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, received 88 votes.

According to the CEC, there were 349 registered voters in the election. Of them, 343 ballots were valid and six remained unused. Four ballots were replaced due to various errors.

After the result was announced, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman congratulated the newly elected president with a red rose. Other lawmakers, including the Leader of the Opposition, also greeted him.

Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmed cast the first vote, followed by Acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other members of parliament.