Bangladesh holds presidential election in first contested vote in 35 years

What the report says

Bangladesh is holding its first contested presidential election in 35 years, with lawmakers voting in Dhaka on Thursday to choose the country’s next head of state. According to Al Jazeera, the contest is between Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party and retired army officer Oli Ahmad, who is backed by a Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance. The vote was prompted by the resignation last month of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who had been elected unopposed in 2023.

The Election Commission said 349 members of parliament were eligible to vote, with the result expected within hours. Al Jazeera reported that the BNP and its allies hold a clear numerical advantage in parliament, making Alamgir the likely winner despite the symbolic significance of the contest. Thursday’s ballot is the first presidential race with more than one candidate since 1991, when Bangladesh also had a competitive vote for the office.

The report noted that the presidency in Bangladesh has limited executive power, which has led some analysts to describe the election as more symbolic than transformative. Still, it comes at a time when the country is trying to rebuild political institutions after the 2024 uprising that ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. The article also highlighted debate over party discipline, the role of parliament in presidential elections and calls from some families of people killed in the uprising for a more meaningful democratic process.