DHAKA — Lawmakers elected Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as Bangladesh’s president on Aug. 20, elevating the long-time Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) figurehead to the largely ceremonial post after his party returned to power earlier this year.
Alamgir, 78, won the parliamentary vote 255‑to‑88 against Oli Ahmed, the retired army colonel and Liberal Democratic Party leader backed by an 11‑party opposition alliance. The BNP and its allies hold a two‑thirds majority in Parliament following the Feb. 12 general election that brought Tarique Rahman to the prime minister’s office.
Although the presidency carries limited executive power, the office is head of state and commander‑in‑chief of the armed forces; real executive authority remains with the prime minister and Cabinet. Alamgir is due to be sworn in on Aug. 21.
The vote was prompted by the July resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin on health grounds; Shahabuddin, a former Awami League ally, had been elected in 2023. The BNP’s return followed the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government after mass unrest in August 2024; Hasina has been living in India since fleeing the country and has said she intends to return in December.
A veteran opposition figure, Alamgir rose through the BNP after a career as a teacher and holds past ministerial experience, including as local government minister. During Hasina’s tenure he became a prominent critic, facing multiple arrests and legal cases. His election marks a consolidation of the BNP’s political control after years in opposition.