Bangladesh Set to Hold First Presidential Election in 35 Years

Bangladesh will hold a presidential election after 35 years. On Thursday (August 20, 2026), the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) MPs and MPs will vote for the presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and retired Colonel Oli Ahmed. Oli Ahmed has been nominated by an 11-party opposition alliance. In this presidential election, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is very likely to win as 349 MPs are going to vote, of which BNP has the upper hand. In Bangladesh, the presidential election is indirect i.e. the people do not elect the president, but the MPs elected by the people vote. Let us know what is the whole process of the presidential election going to be held in Bangladesh for the first time since 1991 and why the BNP candidate is considered to win - This is the first presidential election in Bangladesh since 1991, in which the candidates are competing. For many decades, there has usually been a presidential election without mutual consent or competition. According to the constitution of Bangladesh, the presidential candidate should be less than 35 years old, and should not be impeached. According to the rules of the parliament, he should not have completed five years in office.