DAKHA, 20 August 2026 (TON): Bangladesh on Thursday elected veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as President of Bangladesh. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is the 23rd president.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 78, secured 255 votes against 88 won by Colonel (Retired) Oli Ahmed, 84, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance, Chief Election Commissioner and Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin announced after counting. Of the 349 registered lawmakers, 343 cast their votes while six did not participate in the election.
Alamgir is scheduled to take oath as president on Friday, August 21, evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban.The election was the first contested presidential poll in Bangladesh since 1991. The post has largely been filled through consensus or uncontested.
The election was held following the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who stepped down last month on health grounds before completing his five-year term.