The Pulse | Politics | South Asia

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Elected Bangladesh’s New President

The presidential election has reopened debate over Article 70 of the Constitution, which can cost parliamentarians their seats if they vote against their party.

Bangladesh’s President-elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected Bangladesh’s new president on August 20. It was the country’s first contested presidential election since 1991. Since then, presidential candidates had been elected unopposed, with no rival entering the race.

Alamgir, 78, received 255 votes in Parliament. His rival, Liberal Democratic Party chairman Oli Ahmad, won 88. Ahmad was backed by an 11-party opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

The vote came less than a month after former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24. Shahabuddin cited serious health problems, but his departure also followed sustained political pressure.

Shahabuddin was elected in 2023 with the backing of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. After Hasina’s government fell in August 2024, several political groups and student leaders called for him to step down.

Shahabuddin denied that he........

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