The BNP’s National Standing Committee has authorised party Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to select the party’s candidate for president and decide the timing of the election.
The decision was taken after a meeting at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Saturday night.
BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the decision after the meeting ended at around 9:30 p.m.
“The party chairman has been given full responsibility for nominating the candidate and deciding when the presidential election will be held,” Fakhrul told reporters.
The meeting, chaired by Tarique Rahman, also discussed the country’s political and administrative situation, the government’s development programmes and the proposed local government elections.
Home Minister and BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said the party would consult the Speaker if a special parliamentary session is required after the Election Commission announces the presidential election schedule.
Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud and AZM Zahid Hossain attended the meeting.
The decision ends days of speculation over whether the party’s highest policymaking body would directly nominate a candidate or leave the choice to Tarique Rahman, following BNP precedent.
Several names have circulated within political and party circles, including Acting President and Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Mirza Fakhrul, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. Former education minister Osman Farruk and Nazrul Islam Khan have also been mentioned.
No candidate has yet been formally confirmed.
Party sources said the leadership is weighing political experience, constitutional credibility, international acceptability and the impact that each possible appointment could have on the government and the BNP’s organisational structure.
Mirza Fakhrul has been one of the most widely discussed candidates because of his long political and organisational experience. His appointment, however, would leave vacant the posts of BNP secretary general and local government minister and would also require a by-election in his Thakurgaon-1 constituency.
Moyeen Khan’s academic background, international experience and previous service as planning minister and science and information technology minister have also placed him among the leading contenders.
Some party leaders view Khandaker Mosharraf as a less disruptive choice because his appointment would not require changes to the cabinet or the BNP secretary general’s post.
The possibility of selecting someone from outside the cabinet or the party has not been ruled out, although the BNP’s parliamentary majority means its nominee is expected to win.
Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as president on July 24, citing health reasons. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has since been serving as acting president under the Constitution.
A new president must be elected within 90 days of the vacancy. The election could take place during parliament’s regular session in September.
The timing also coincides with government preparations for possible constitutional amendments linked to the July National Charter, including proposals to revise the balance of power between the president and prime minister.
Any change in the presidency’s constitutional authority could influence the final choice of candidate.
The BNP is expected to formally announce its nominee after Tarique Rahman completes consultations and the Election Commission sets the election schedule.
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