Alamgir defeated retired Col. Oli Ahmed, the candidate of an opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, in an election that was held for the first time in 35 years with more than one candidate contesting the largely ceremonial presidency, Anadolu Agency reported.
The new president is scheduled to take the oath of office on Friday.
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A total of 349 lawmakers, including the prime minister, opposition leader and 50 lawmakers representing reserved seats for women, took part in the vote.
Alamgir received 255 votes, while Ahmed secured 88, according to Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin presided over the election.
The BNP currently holds about a two-thirds majority in parliament, making Alamgir’s victory widely expected.
A longtime BNP figure takes the presidency
Alamgir, 78, has been one of the BNP’s most prominent figures for years and became the party’s de facto leader during periods when its senior leadership was unable to operate normally.
He emerged as a key figure while former BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was imprisoned and her son and then-acting party chairman Tarique Rahman spent 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, much of that period overlapping with the 15-year rule of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Alamgir’s election marks a significant moment for the BNP as it consolidates its political position following years of opposition.
His defeated rival, Oli Ahmed, is chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party and was backed by Jamaat as the candidate of an 11-party opposition alliance.
Ahmed was previously a BNP leader and a close associate of former Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman. He later left the BNP and helped establish the Liberal Democratic Party in 2006.
Presidency left vacant after Shahabuddin’s resignation
The presidential election was triggered by the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin, who served as president during Hasina’s Awami League government.
Shahabuddin stepped down on July 24, citing health reasons, roughly two years before the end of his five-year term.
Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed subsequently took over the duties of interim president until a permanent successor could be elected.
Alamgir will now assume the largely ceremonial presidency at a politically significant moment for Bangladesh, with the BNP holding a dominant position in parliament and the opposition seeking to maintain a role in the country’s evolving political landscape.
