Presidential election to be held on August 20: EC

The Election Commission on Thursday announced the schedule for Bangladesh’s 24th presidential election, with voting set for August 20.

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed disclosed the timetable at a briefing in Agargaon in the capital. 

Nominations must be filed by August 13, and candidates can withdraw until August 18.

The commission received the voters’ list — containing the names of members of the 13th Parliament — from the Parliament Secretariat earlier the same day, Ahmed said.

The election follows the resignation of President Md. Shahabuddin on July 21. 

Speaker of the National Assembly Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram has been serving as acting president under constitutional provisions. 

The Constitution requires a new president to be elected by members of Parliament within 90 days of a resignation.

Under the current system, the 350 MPs elect the president. Article 70 of the Constitution effectively prevents lawmakers from voting against their party’s nominee, making the ruling party’s candidate almost certain to win. 

Presidential elections have been contested only once — on October 8, 1991 — when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas secured 172 votes, including support from 18 Jamaat-e-Islami MPs, against Awami League nominee Justice Badrul Haider Chowdhury’s 92 votes. 

In the seven subsequent elections, the government candidate was elected unopposed.

The July National Charter, approved by referendum, recommended that the president be chosen by secret ballot of members of both houses of Parliament to end unopposed victories. 

The proposal was among 30 reform measures that drew no notes of dissent. However, it has not taken effect because the Constitution has not yet been amended, and the upper house of Parliament has not been formed.

BNP’s state reform plan also called for amending Article 70 so that MPs would not be compelled to support their party’s presidential candidate. 

The July Charter further proposed granting the president sole authority to appoint the heads and members of six institutions, including the Human Rights Commission, Information Commission, Press Council, Law Commission, Bangladesh Bank governor and Energy Regulatory Commission, without consulting the prime minister. 

BNP dissented on the appointments of the Bangladesh Bank governor and the Energy Regulatory Commission chief.