Bangladesh elects new president

Bangladesh has elected a new president. On August 20, the country's parliament elected Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to the post, Deutsche Welle reported.

The BNP, which holds more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament, saw Alamgir as a worthy candidate for the largely symbolic post. He defeated the candidate of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami alliance, retired military man turned politician Oli Ahmed.

In the late vote to become the 23rd president of the country of 173 million people, Alamgir received 255 votes, while Oli Ahmed received 88. It was the first competitive presidential election since Bangladesh transitioned to a parliamentary democracy in 1991.

The vote came after former President Mohammad Shahbazuddin resigned in July due to health reasons. He was a close ally of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"I dream of a happy and prosperous country where the poor communities, the hardworking people and the daily wage earners can have two meals a day," Alamgir, 78, said before casting his vote.

His opponent, Oli Ahmed, 87, said the country had high hopes for Alamgir's presidency.

"We expect you to put personal interests above national interests and serve the country," Oli said after the vote.

China, a close ally of Bangladesh, congratulated Alamgir. The Chinese embassy in Dhaka said they were looking forward to working together for a shared future in the new era.

**Who is Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir?**

In February, Prime Minister Tariq Rahman's BNP party won a landslide election victory. It was the first since Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in 2024. Hasina remains in exile in India. In November 2025, she was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death in absentia. Human rights groups say her rule was marred by the killing of opponents and the suppression of political opposition.

Born in 1948, Alamgir entered politics while studying economics at Dhaka University. He was a key student leader in the 1969 uprising against Pakistan's military regime and later became an economics lecturer. Alamgir joined the BNP in the early 1990s and rose through the ranks.

He was known as the opposition leader during Hasina's 15-year rule. During Hasina's government, he was repeatedly arrested and faced dozens of charges that were considered trumped-up and politically motivated.

Alamgir has been credited in the media for keeping the BNP united and its political position intact during the difficult times under Hasina. As president, he is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He is expected to be sworn in on the evening of August 21.