Bangladesh Elects New President: BNP's Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Wins Presidential Election

The results of the presidential election held in Bangladesh after 35 years have come. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been elected as the 23rd President of the country. He won by defeating the opposition alliance candidate Oli Ahmed with a huge margin of votes. Chief Election Commissioner and Returning Officer AMM Nasir Uddin announced the results on Thursday. He said that 343 out of 349 registered MPs voted, while 6 MPs did not vote. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of BNP got a total of 255 votes. While his rival and Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance candidate Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed got only 88 votes in 1991. Before being elected as the President, Alamgir was holding the post of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister in the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The newly elected President will take oath on Friday evening at the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban. After being elected as the new President of Bangladesh, Mirza Fakhrul, BNP has made Rizvi the General Secretary of the party for the first time in its direct contest for the post of the President of Bangladesh.