Presidential Election: Mirza Fakhrul Finalized as BNP Candidate

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has finalised Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as its candidate for the country’s next presidential election, according to multiple BNP leaders who confirmed the decision on Tuesday night. The formal announcement is expected on Wednesday or Thursday, ahead of the August 13 nomination filing deadline.

Mirza Fakhrul is currently the minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and the BNP secretary general. If elected and sworn in as the country’s 23rd president, he will have to relinquish both positions.

Discussions and speculation have already begun within the party over his possible successors in the cabinet and the organisation. Party sources said current Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed is being discussed for the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry, while current Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie is being mentioned for the Home Ministry. A new face could then be brought into the Water Resources Ministry.

Within the party, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi is being most widely discussed for the role of acting secretary general if Mirza Fakhrul assumes the presidency. BNP leaders said the party’s next secretary general would be elected through the next national council, and an acting appointment may be made until then. As an immediate arrangement, senior joint secretary general and political adviser to the prime minister Ruhul Kabir Rizvi may be given the interim responsibility. The final decision would be taken by BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, they said.

Multiple senior BNP leaders said on Tuesday night that Mirza Fakhrul’s name had been finalised as the party’s presidential nominee. The BNP standing committee assigned the responsibility of selecting the candidate to party chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Selima Rahman, a member of the BNP standing committee, told Ajker Patrika on Tuesday, “We have completely entrusted the responsibility of selecting the party’s candidate for the post of president to the chairman (Tarique Rahman). The name of the party’s candidate will be known soon.” Asked whether the party had discussed the vacancies that would arise in the cabinet and in the post of secretary general if Mirza Fakhrul became president, she said, “There has still been no discussion on this in the party forum.”

President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24, citing physical reasons. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed then assumed the duties of acting president. His name had also been discussed as a possible BNP candidate.

According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the presidential election will be held on August 20. BNP has collected two nomination forms for its candidate. In parliament, the 11-party alliance led by the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami has collected a nomination form for Liberal Democratic Party chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad.

Under the election schedule, nomination papers are to be submitted on August 13, scrutiny will be held on August 16, and August 18 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature. For that reason, the BNP candidate’s name is expected to be announced before nominations are filed, meaning on Wednesday or Thursday.

Mirza Fakhrul first became BNP acting secretary general in 2011 and was made full secretary general in 2016. He has served as a central organisational force in the party for more than 15 years.

Separately, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, acting as the returning authority for the presidential election, has convened a meeting of members of parliament in the Jatiya Sangsad chamber from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 for voting. A gazette notification to this effect was issued on Tuesday.

The notification said that, under powers conferred by the Presidential Election Act, 1991, and in consultation with the Speaker (acting Speaker), a meeting of members of parliament had been called at 2pm on August 20 in the parliament chamber for the presidential election vote.

A total of 349 members of parliament will vote in the presidential election.