Veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected Bangladesh’s new president on August 20. It was the country’s first contested presidential election since 1991. Since then, presidential candidates had been elected unopposed, with no rival entering the race.

Alamgir, 78, received 255 votes in Parliament. His rival, Liberal Democratic Party chairman Oli Ahmad, won 88. Ahmad was backed by an 11-party opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

The vote came less than a month after former President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24. Shahabuddin cited serious health problems, but his departure also followed sustained political pressure.

Shahabuddin was elected in 2023 with the backing of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. After Hasina’s government fell in August 2024, several political groups and student leaders called for him to step down.

Shahabuddin denied that he had stepped down under pressure

The presidential election also reopened debate over Article 70 of the Constitution, which states that parliamentarians can lose their seats if they vote against their party.

JI leaders argued that the provision prevented MPs from voting freely and called for its reform before the election.

A Supreme Court lawyer challenged the provision and asked the High Court to suspend the presidential election. He argued that MPs should be able to vote independently.

The High Court rejected the petition on August 18, clearing the way for the election.

Alamgir had served as BNP secretary-general since 2016. He became one of the party’s most recognizable faces during its long years in opposition under Hasina.

His election comes six months after the BNP returned to power in the February general election, with Tarique Rahman becoming prime minister.

Bangladesh’s presidency is largely ceremonial. The president, however, remains the constitutional head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.