Voting began on Thursday in Bangladesh’s presidential election, the first contested presidential poll in 35 years, with Members of Parliament casting their ballots through an open ballot to elect the country’s 23rd President.

The three-hour voting began at 2:10pm in the session chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad and will continue until 5pm. A total of 349 MPs are eligible to vote.

BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and opposition Jamaat-led 11-party alliance candidate Col (retd) Oli Ahmad are contesting the election.

With the BNP holding an absolute majority in Parliament, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is widely expected to be elected as the country’s 23rd President.

Under Article 70 of the Constitution, lawmakers elected as candidates of political parties will lose their seats if they vote in the presidential election against their respective party’s decision.

The last contested presidential election was held on October 8, 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League candidate Badrul Haider Chowdhury to become the country’s 11th President.

Biswas secured 172 votes, while Badrul Haider Chowdhury received 92.

Since then, successive presidents have been elected uncontested, with no voting required as there was only one candidate in each election.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, who is serving as the election officer, is conducting the balloting and will announce the result immediately after the votes are counted in Parliament.

The Election Commission will then publish the result in an official gazette on Thursday.

PM Tarique casts vote for BNP's Mirza Fakhrul

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman cast his vote on Thursday for BNP-nominated party leader Mirza Fakhrul.

He did so alongside BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, drawing applause from ruling party lawmakers.

At around 2:10pm, the Prime Minister rose from his seat and walked to the ballot box with Fakhrul who was sitting beside him.

At 2:11pm, Tarique collected his ballot paper and cast his vote, prompting BNP lawmakers to thump their desks in applause.

Moments later, Fakhrul cast his ballot, with members of the ruling party again welcoming the moment by thumping their desks.

The BNP presidential candidate then shook hands with lawmakers present in the House.

He later exchanged greetings with Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.

Voting in the election to choose Bangladesh’s 23rd President began at 2:10 pm in the Parliament Session Chamber under the supervision of Chief Election Commissioner and Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin.

Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad and Acting Speaker Kayser Kamal were the first to cast their votes.

After voting, they exchanged greetings with the Leader of the Opposition and other lawmakers. Acting President Hafiz Uddin also shook hands with Prime Minister Tarique and presidential candidate Fakhrul before leaving the chamber after around eight minutes.

At 2:12pm, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman cast his vote along with his fellow lawmakers.

The voting began with a recitation from the Holy Quran. Before the process started, Chief Election Commissioner Nasir briefed the lawmakers on the voting procedure.

Two candidates are contesting the presidential election — BNP nominee Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, the candidate of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance.

A total of 349 Members of Parliament are eligible to vote.

The last presidential election involving voting in Parliament was held on October 8, 1991.

The presidential election was called following the resignation of former President Md Shahabuddin on July 24. Under the Constitution, a new President must be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant.

The Election Commission announced the election schedule on August 6, and the vote is being held after completion of all required procedures.

Bangabhaban preps for oath-taking ceremony

Meanwhile, Bangabhaban is preparing for the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected President, scheduled for Friday evening.

Each ballot paper consists of two parts — a counterfoil and the ballot portion. The counterfoil contains the serial number, the name of the MP and the divisional number, or constituency number, provided by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat.

Before receiving a ballot paper, an MP must sign their full name in the designated space.

The names of the two candidates are printed in Bangla in alphabetical order on the right-hand side of the ballot paper. MPs must sign their full names in the designated space beside their preferred candidate’s name before casting their votes.

The MPs will then deposit their ballots in the designated ballot box.

Voting will continue until 5pm, after which counting will begin.

Of the 349 eligible voters, 247 are BNP lawmakers, 77 are Jamaat MPs, eight are from the National Citizen Party (NCP), eight are independents, three are from Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, and one each is from Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolon, Khilafat Majlis, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party.

The Chattogram-4 parliamentary seat remains vacant.

The BJP, Gono Odhikar Parishad and Ganosamhati Andolon are allies of the ruling BNP. The ruling camp has 250 lawmakers and is expected to vote for Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The opposition 11-party alliance comprises Jamaat, NCP, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Khilafat Majlis and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, among others. The opposition camp has 90 lawmakers, who are expected to vote for Oli Ahmad.

Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as President on July 24, after which Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed the duties of acting President.

Under Article 123(2) of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacant presidential office caused by resignation must be held within 90 days of the post becoming vacant.