Story perspectives

Bangladesh MPs Hold First Multi-Candidate Presidential Vote in 35 Years

8/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

Bangladesh’s parliament will elect BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as president on Thursday.
He faces retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, the Jamaat-led nominee, with 247 BNP lawmakers versus 90 eligible MPs.
A total of 349 MPs will vote between 08:00 GMT and 11:00 GMT on Thursday.
The contest is the first multi-candidate presidential election in 35 years, raising doubts under Article 70.

History

Historical Context

December 1990 mass protests ousted President Hussain Muhammad Ershad, prompting the 27 February 1991 election in which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured 140 of 300 seats with roughly 55 % turnout. A September 1991 referendum adopted the Twelfth Amendment, shifting power to a parliamentary system. Today, BNP’s Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jamaat-backed Oli Ahmed contest the largely ceremonial presidency before 349 MPs, recalling the 1991 democratic shift.

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Story summary

Bangladesh’s parliament will elect BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as president on Thursday.
He faces retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, the Jamaat-led nominee, with 247 BNP lawmakers versus 90 eligible MPs.
A total of 349 MPs will vote between 08:00 GMT and 11:00 GMT on Thursday.
The contest is the first multi-candidate presidential election in 35 years, raising doubts under Article 70.

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