Presidential election: Neither contender quits race, voting Aug 20

Neither of the two presidential candidates withdrew from the race by the 4pm deadline on Tuesday, clearing the way for a contested presidential election on Thursday, nearly 35 years after Bangladesh last saw more than one candidate contest the presidency.

Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed confirmed the matter to the reporters in the afternoon. 

BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jamaat-led 11-party alliance nominee Col (retd) Oli Ahmad are set to compete in the election.

According to the EC secretary, voting will take place from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the session chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad.

At the start of voting, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, who is also the Election Officer, will brief lawmakers on the voting procedure, Akhtar Ahmed said.

The EC will prepare the ballot papers on Tuesday, he added.

Each ballot paper will have two sections — a counterfoil and the ballot portion. The counterfoil will contain the serial number, the MP's name and the divisional number provided by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat, along with a designated blank space.

An MP will have to sign his or her full name in the designated space before receiving the ballot paper.

The names of the two candidates will be printed in alphabetical order in Bangla on the right-hand side of the ballot paper. MPs will sign their full names in the designated space beside their preferred candidate's name to cast their votes.

After voting, MPs will deposit their ballots in the designated ballot box. Voting will continue until 5pm, after which the ballots will be counted.

The ballot papers will feature black printing on a white background, the EC secretary said.

A total of 349 MPs are eligible to vote in the presidential election.

The votes will be counted in the Jatiya Sangsad session chamber immediately after voting ends, and the Election Officer will announce the result there.

The result will subsequently be published in the official gazette.