BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is set to become Bangladesh’s next president after party Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman finalised his nomination, a senior BNP leader familiar with the decision told Daily Waadaa.
“Mirza Fakhrul’s name has almost certainly been finalized by the party chairman,” the senior leader who is also a member of the cabinet, said, confirming that the longtime BNP secretary general is the party’s choice for the presidency.
Waadaa spoke with several other senior BNP figures about the nomination. Almost all said the final decision rests solely with Tarique Rahman and that they had not been formally informed of his choice. Only one leader close to the prime minister, however, confirmed that Fakhrul had been selected.
The development comes as the BNP formally began preparations for the presidential election. The party collected two nomination papers from the Election Commission on Sunday morning.
BNP Vice Chairman and Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi collected the papers from the returning officer’s office at the EC headquarters in Agargaon.
The BNP’s National Standing Committee had earlier entrusted Tarique Rahman with selecting the party’s candidate. With the BNP commanding a majority in Parliament, its nominee is effectively assured of becoming the country’s 23rd president unless there is an unexpected shift in parliamentary support.
The Election Commission has scheduled the presidential election for August 20, with voting, if required, to take place in Parliament between 2 pm and 5 pm.
If Fakhrul is the only validly nominated candidate, however, no parliamentary vote will be necessary and he can be declared elected unopposed.
The presidency became vacant after Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has since been performing the functions of acting president. Under the Constitution and the President Election Act, 1991, an election must be held within 90 days of the vacancy.
Fakhrul’s expected move to Bangabhaban would also open one of the BNP’s most consequential internal positions for the first time in a decade.
He became acting secretary general in 2011 and was formally appointed secretary general in 2016. During the Awami League’s years in power, Fakhrul was jailed six times and became one of the BNP’s most visible political figures while Khaleda Zia was imprisoned and Tarique Rahman remained abroad.
Repeated speculation about his replacement over the years never materialised. Within the BNP, Fakhrul developed a reputation as a moderate figure who helped hold together competing factions during the party’s long period out of power.
His departure would now force the BNP to decide who takes charge of the organisation as it prepares for a possible national council late this year or early next year.
Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi is among the names being discussed within the party as a possible successor. BNP insiders say the party could initially appoint an acting secretary general before settling the leadership question at or around its national council.
—