Voting for 23rd Bangladesh President begins

Collected Photo

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin has addressed the session and following that, voting to elect the 23rd President of Bangladesh has begun in the National Parliament.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin is serving as the election officer. Since Parliament is not currently in session, a special meeting of lawmakers has been convened to facilitate the voting process.

The CEC will preside over the session and conduct the election.

Members of Parliament will cast their votes from their designated seats. First, they will accept the ballot paper by signing their full name on the counterfoil.Then, they will write their full name and sign again in the designated space next to their preferred candidate’s name on the main ballot.

Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal and Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who is currently serving as the Acting President, are also voters as Members of Parliament. Separate seating arrangements have been made in the parliament hall for them to cast their votes, according to Parliament Secretariat sources.

BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, being an MP, will be able to cast his vote. His parliamentary seat will become vacant on the day he assumes office as President. On the other hand, Oli Ahmad is not a Member of Parliament and will not have the opportunity to vote.

The presidential election is taking place through voting after 35 years. Voting will continue from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the parliament chamber, with 349 Members of Parliament eligible to vote.

There are two candidates in the contest. Ruling BNP has nominated Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while his opponent is Oli Ahmad, candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance. The BNP holds 247 seats in Parliament, making Mirza Fakhrul’s election to the presidency virtually certain.

However, as there are two candidates, voting is being conducted according to the schedule.