Bangladesh Parliament Elects BNP Veteran Alamgir as President

Bangladesh's Parliament on Thursday elected Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a veteran of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as the country's new president. The vote came after the post fell vacant last month when former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned midway through his term.

Alamgir secured 255 votes against 88 for challenger Oli Ahmed of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party and its allies. A total of 349 lawmakers were eligible to vote in what was the first contested presidential election since October 1991, when Bangladesh became a parliamentary democracy. All subsequent presidential elections had been uncontested.

Alamgir, a former secretary-general of the BNP, played a key role in the movement against the 15-year rule of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina fled to India in August 2024 amid a mass uprising over allegations of autocratic governance and corruption in job allocations. Her party has been barred from politics since last year.

The presidency in Bangladesh is largely ceremonial, but the head of state also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and can play a decisive role during political crises. Alamgir is expected to take office on Friday.

Shahabuddin, who had been a close ally of Hasina, resigned last month following sustained pressure from student groups that led the uprising. His departure removed a trusted Hasina loyalist from the establishment. The current government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, came to power with a landslide victory in February after 18 months of interim rule under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Hasina's party was barred from participating in that election.