Mirza Alamgir, 78, has been elected President of Bangladesh after defeating his opponent, Oli Ahmed, in the country’s first contested presidential election in 35 years.
Alamgir, the candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), secured 255 votes, while Ahmed, nominated by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led opposition alliance, received 88 votes.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the result on Thursday.
Alamgir is expected to be sworn in as Bangladesh’s 23rd president on Friday at Bangabhaban, the presidential palace in Dhaka.
The election was organised by the Election Commission following the resignation of former President Muhammad Shahabuddin on health grounds on July 24.
Shahabuddin was elected in April 2023 during the administration of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has remained in exile in India since she was removed from office in August 2024 following a mass uprising.
Under Bangladesh’s parliamentary system, the president largely performs ceremonial duties, while executive powers are vested in the prime minister.
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Only members of parliament are eligible to vote in the presidential election. A total of 349 lawmakers were eligible to participate in Thursday’s poll, with one parliamentary seat still affected by a legal dispute.
Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad has 350 members, including 50 seats reserved for women.
The election marked the first contested presidential poll since 1991, when candidates from the BNP and Awami League competed for the position after the restoration of the parliamentary system.
Alamgir, one of the BNP’s longest-serving senior officials, represents his ancestral constituency in Thakurgaon in northern Bangladesh.
