Bangladesh to hold presidential election on Thursday

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Bangladesh will hold its presidential election on Thursday (August 19, 2026), with lawmakers set to choose between the ruling BNP stalwart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 11-party Opposition alliance candidate Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed.

The voting will take place for the first time in a presidential election after a gap of 35 years.

The voting will be held at the Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) from 2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. on August 20, according to the Election Commission.

Mr. Alamgir, 78, is the candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), while Colonel (retd) Ahmed, Bir Bikram, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is contesting as the candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance.

The Election Commission declared their nomination papers valid on August 16.

Speaking at the BNP parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Alamgir appealed to the BNP lawmakers to vote for him in Thursday's presidential election.

“If I have made any mistake or unintentionally hurt anyone during my tenure, I seek forgiveness,” said Mr. Alamgir, who has served as BNP's senior joint secretary general, acting secretary general and secretary general.

Several lawmakers present at the meeting said the veteran leader became emotional and broke down in tears several times within a few minutes.

Mr. Alamgir pledged that he would never compromise on the country's independence and sovereignty.

The president-elect will take the oath as Bangladesh's new President on Friday evening at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, The Daily Star reported, citing sources at the Secretariat and Parliament Secretariat.

The presidential election was necessitated after Mohammed Shahabuddin, a close aide of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned last month on health grounds before completing his five-year tenure.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who is also the BNP chairman, declared Mr. Alamgir, a longtime secretary general of the BNP and a close ally of former premier Khaleda Zia, as the ruling party's presidential candidate.

Under the Constitution, a new President is required to be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant.