rki.news | Sources Xinhua
DHAKA: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was elected the country’s 23rd president on Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced.
Alamgir secured 255 votes, defeating Oli Ahmad, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and candidate of an alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who received 88 votes.
Voting was held in the Jatiya Sangsad, or parliament, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. Of 349 eligible members of parliament, 343 valid ballots were cast.
Bangladesh’s president is elected by members of parliament, with the ruling BNP currently holding an absolute majority.
The election was held to fill the vacancy left by former President Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu, who resigned on July 24. Under the Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days after the office becomes vacant.
Alamgir is scheduled to take the oath of office on Friday evening.