United News of Bangladesh

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday issued a gazette notification declaring BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir elected as the President of Bangladesh. The notification, issued under Section 11 of the Presidential Election Act, 1991, said Mirza Fakhrul was elected President in accordance with Rule 12(6) of the Presidential Election Rules, 1991. The gazette notification was signed by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. Mirza Fakhrul was elected the country's 23rd President earlier in the day, defeating his lone rival Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, the candidate of the 11-party opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Fakhrul secured 255 votes against Oli's 88 in the presidential election held in the session chamber of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, also Returning Officer of the election, announced the polls results after the balloting ended at 5:00pm. “Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has secured 255 votes. I declare that, having received the highest number of votes, he has been duly elected President,” Nasir Uddin announced. Out of all 343 valid votes, Mirza Fakhrul secured 255, while Oli Ahmad got 88, he said. Among the 349 voters, six lawmakers did not vote in the presidential election. The six voters who did not turn up are BNP lawmakers Mirza Abbas, Mostafa Kamal Pasha and Dr Muhammad Osman Farruk, independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana, Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam and Islami Andolan Bangladesh lawmaker Md Oli Ullah.