Bangladesh’s parliament has elected veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the country’s new president, filling the position left vacant after former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned early on health grounds.
The 78-year-old Alamgir was declared the winner after securing 255 votes against 88 for his rival, Oli Ahmed, an 84-year-old retired army colonel, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and candidate of an 11-party opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Alamgir, who has been a prominent figure in Bangladeshi politics for decades, said before the parliamentary vote that his vision was focused on improving the welfare of ordinary citizens.
“I dream of a happy, prosperous and welfare-oriented state where marginalised communities, hard-working people and daily wage earners can afford meals twice a day,” Alamgir said before the vote, according to the state news agency BSS.
His election follows major political changes in Bangladesh since 2024, when widespread youth-led protests resulted in the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.
The BNP subsequently returned to power after winning a two-thirds majority in parliament in the February 12 general election, with Tarique Rahman becoming prime minister.
The presidential election became necessary after 76-year-old Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24, two years before the scheduled end of his term.
Shahabuddin cited health concerns for his decision to step down. Under Bangladesh’s constitution, a replacement president must be elected within 90 days of a vacancy.
The parliamentary vote was therefore held on Thursday to fill the position.
Although the Bangladeshi presidency is largely ceremonial, the president serves as the country’s head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Alamgir’s Long Political Career
Alamgir has been associated with the BNP since the early 1990s. His involvement in politics began much earlier, when he was studying economics at Dhaka University and emerged as a prominent student leader during the 1969 uprising against Pakistan’s military rule.
Over the years, he became one of the BNP’s most recognisable national figures, particularly during Sheikh Hasina’s long period in power.
Alamgir was arrested several times during Hasina’s rule, with the politician maintaining that the arrests were politically motivated.
Before becoming president, he most recently served as local government minister and previously held several other ministerial positions, including agriculture, aviation and tourism.
Shahabuddin’s Presidency And Political Change
Shahabuddin became president in 2023, when the Awami League remained in power under Sheikh Hasina.
His presidency later came under growing pressure from opposition groups following the political upheaval that eventually forced Hasina from office in 2024.
Hasina left Bangladesh after the mass uprising and has since been living in India. She has said she plans to return to Bangladesh in December.
Alamgir’s election now marks another significant development in Bangladesh’s rapidly changing political landscape, with the veteran BNP politician taking over the largely ceremonial presidency at a time of major political transition.
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