Bangladesh Presidential Election: PM Tarique Rahman Casts Vote Amidst Competition Between Mirza Fakhrul and Oli Ahmed

Dhaka, August 20: The voting for the Bangladesh presidential election commenced on Thursday, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman casting his vote alongside Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the candidate from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

According to local media, the voting process began in the parliamentary session hall under the supervision of Chief Election Commissioner and Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin.

As reported by the Bangladesh News Agency UNB, there are two candidates vying for the presidency. On one side is Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir from the BNP, while on the other is Oli Ahmed representing an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. A total of 349 MPs are eligible to cast their votes in this election.

This presidential election marks the first real voting for the presidency in over three and a half decades. Since 1991, presidents have generally been elected unopposed. The last presidential election determined by parliamentary voting took place on October 8, 1991.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, following the resignation of President Mohammad Shahabuddin on July 24, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has been serving as the acting president. The Bangladeshi constitution mandates that a new president must be elected within 90 days of the vacancy.

While this election features competition, the ruling BNP holds a clear numerical advantage. In the 2026 parliamentary elections, the BNP secured 210 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance won 77 seats, giving the BNP a significant majority in parliament.

In an interview with the Dhaka Tribune last week, senior lawyer Advocate Manzil Morshed from the Supreme Court‘s appellate bench stated, “The opposition knows it will lose the election. Nevertheless, fielding a candidate is a political strategy.”

When asked why the Jamaat-led alliance entered the race despite knowing their candidate’s likely defeat, he remarked, “There is speculation in political circles that Jamaat and BNP have close ties. They may have only formally fielded a candidate to avoid accusations of not participating in the election or raising questions on this issue.”

Election expert and founder of the Dhaka-based civil platform Shujan, Badilul Alam Majumdar, noted, “The outcome of the presidential election is almost predetermined. The person supported by the ruling party will become president.”