Fakhrul resigns as BNP secretary general after being named presidential candidate

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has resigned from the posts of BNP secretary general and Standing Committee member after the party named him its candidate for the presidency.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi confirmed the resignation on Thursday afternoon.

The development followed a meeting of Standing Committee members and senior leaders chaired by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman. At the meeting, Rahman announced Mirza Fakhrul as the party’s presidential nominee. Mirza Fakhrul stepped down from his organisational positions immediately afterwards.

Sources in the Local Government Ministry said Mirza Fakhrul, who is also the minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives and the MP for Thakurgaon-1, left the secretariat on Wednesday afternoon. No official programme is scheduled for him today.

The resignation comes amid the process to elect Bangladesh’s 23rd president. President Md Sahabuddin resigned on July 24 citing illness. The Election Commission subsequently announced a schedule for the presidential election, with voting set for August 20.

According to the EC schedule, nomination papers can be submitted today between 10am and 4pm. Scrutiny is scheduled for 16 August, with the deadline for withdrawal of candidature at 4pm on August 18. If more than one candidate remains, MPs will vote in Parliament between 2pm and 5pm on August 20.

Election Commission sources noted that two sets of nomination papers may be submitted for the same candidate to guard against errors. Members of Parliament elect the president, and the ruling party’s nominee traditionally prevails.

With BNP holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the party’s nominated candidate is all but certain to become the next president once the formal process is completed.