Mirza Fakhrul to take oath as Bangladesh’s 23rd president today

Newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is set to take oath as Bangladesh’s 23rd president at Bangabhaban on Friday evening, following his victory in the presidential election held in parliament.

The Election Commission has already issued an official gazette notifying his election.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Bangabhaban after completion of all formalities.

According to the Constitution, Acting Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal will administer the oath to the newly elected president.

The decision was finalised after the Ministry of Law provided its opinion and interpretation on the legal and constitutional aspects of the swearing-in process.

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The Cabinet Division had earlier sought the ministry’s opinion on who should administer the oath and the relevant legal provisions. In its notification issued on Thursday, the law ministry said Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed is currently performing the duties of acting president under Article 54 of the Constitution.

In this situation, Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal is exercising all the powers and performing all the duties of the Speaker in accordance with Article 74(3) of the Constitution.

The ministry’s legal review concluded that, as the Deputy Speaker is currently performing the duties delegated to the Speaker, he is the appropriate constitutional and legal authority to administer the oath to the newly elected president.

The presidential election was held in a festive atmosphere in the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad from 2:10pm to 5pm on Thursday. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the results after the votes were counted.

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Mirza Fakhrul elected 23rd president of Bangladesh

According to the declared results, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir secured 255 votes to become the country’s 23rd president. His only rival, Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad, the candidate of the 11-party opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, received 88 votes.

Election Commission sources said 343 of the 349 members of parliament entitled to vote exercised their franchise. The remaining six MPs abstained from voting.

The swearing-in of Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will formally mark the beginning of his tenure as the country’s new president.