Fakhrul embraces JI chief after being elected President

After being elected president, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir embraced Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Dr. Shafiqur Rahman.

The scene was witnessed in the Jatiya Sangsad chamber on Thursday afternoon after the election results were announced.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected the country’s 23rd president through a vote by members of parliament. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin announced the results after the presidential election.

Mirza Fakhrul received 255 votes, while the other candidate, Colonel (retd.) Oli Ahmed, secured 88 votes.

Voting for the presidential election began at 2:10pm on Thursday in the Jatiya Sangsad chamber and continued until 5pm. A total of 349 MPs were eligible to vote, of whom 343 cast their ballots. The votes were counted openly after voting ended.

Notably, a contested presidential election was held after a gap of 35 years. BNP-nominated candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 11-party alliance-backed candidate Colonel (retd.) Oli Ahmed contested the election.

According to reports, the country’s new president will take the oath of office at Bangabhaban on Friday night. Acting Speaker of Parliament Kaiser Kamal will administer the oath.