Bangladesh Elects Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as President
The ruling BNP candidate won the first contested presidential election in 35 years, securing 255 votes in parliament.
Dhaka1 min read
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Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was elected president of Bangladesh on 20 August 2026.
He received 255 votes in the parliamentary ballot. Opposition candidate Oli Ahmad received 88. The contest was the first for the presidency in 35 years.
Alamgir is a veteran BNP figure. The election followed the constitutional process in which members of parliament choose the head of state. The presidency is largely ceremonial, yet the vote carried political weight after years of one-party dominance in the office.
The result consolidates the position of the current ruling party after recent parliamentary elections. International observers noted the return of a contested vote as a procedural change from previous unopposed or near-unopposed selections.
Alamgir will take the oath in the coming days. His election closes a brief period of transition and sets the formal leadership of the state for the next term.
