The race for presidency has intensified, with BNP widely expected to field Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance has named Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Oli Ahmed as its candidate.
BNP collected two nomination forms from Election Commission on Sunday. The decision to finalise the candidate now rests with BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The Jamaat bloc faces an uphill struggle, as the Constitution mandates a parliamentary vote where MPs are legally bound to follow their party line, giving the ruling BNP an overwhelming advantage.
The election follows the resignation of President Mohammed Sahabuddin. Nominations close on 13 August, ahead of the parliamentary vote on 20 August.
Fakhrul frontrunner for presidency
Momentum is building behind Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the BNP’s potential presidential candidate, alongside other high-profile names including Acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, senior party leaders and Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani.
Even Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus emerged as a possible candidate after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman shared the stage with him on 5 August.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam collected two nomination forms on behalf of BNP on Saturday purely as a “precaution against administrative errors”, maintaining that they were not tied to any specific name.
However, speculation surrounding Fakhrul has intensified.
Speaking anonymously, a BNP Standing Committee member acknowledged hearing such speculation, while another described Fakhrul as an “honest and capable” candidate for the top post.
When approached, Fakhrul remained non-committal, saying he had only learned of his possible nomination through the media.
“I’ve only seen the media reports — the party hasn’t told me anything directly,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Jamaat chooses Oli for presidency
The Jamaat alliance has formally entered the presidential race by nominating Oli Ahmed at a meeting held at the opposition leader’s Bailey Road residence.
Announcing the decision, Opposition Leader and Jamaat Ameer Shafiqul Rahman described the move as part of the democratic process.
“We are participating as part of our responsibility to the democratic process, having unanimously chosen the candidate we consider most fitting,” he said.
Expressing his gratitude, Oli said, “I am a tested freedom fighter with no taint of corruption or doubts surrounding my qualifications.”
Oli, a former army officer decorated with the Bir Bikram award for his role in the Liberation War, was a founding stalwart of the BNP in 1978 and served twice as a cabinet minister under Khaleda Zia. He broke away in 2006 over strategic differences to form the LDP, initially aligning with the Awami League before joining a BNP-led coalition ahead of the 2018 election.
However, ties frayed following the 2024 uprising. Ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, Oli joined the Jamaat-led alliance. Although he did not contest directly, his son Omar Faruk contested the Chattogram-14 seat and lost to BNP candidate Jasim Uddin Ahmed.
