Mirza Alamgir, 78, has been elected president of Bangladesh after securing 255 votes against 88 by his opponent in the country’s first contested presidential election in 35 years.

The Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the result on Thursday.

Mr Alamgir, the nominee of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), defeated Oli Ahmed, nominated by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led opposition alliance.

Under Bangladesh’s parliamentary system, the presidency is largely ceremonial, while executive authority rests with the prime minister.

Mr Alamgir is scheduled to be sworn in as Bangladesh’s 23rd president on Friday at Bangabhaban, the presidential palace in Dhaka.

The election commission conducted the poll following the resignation of immediate past President Muhammad Shahbuddin on health grounds on July 24.

Mr Shahbuddin was elected in April 2023 during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in exile in India since her ouster in August 2024 following a mass uprising.

Only members of parliament are eligible to vote in Bangladesh’s presidential election.

A total of 349 lawmakers were eligible to vote in the latest election, as one parliamentary seat remained subject to a legal dispute.

Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad comprises 350 members, including 50 seats reserved for women.

Since the parliamentary system was restored, the only previous contested presidential election was held in 1991, featuring candidates from both the BNP and Awami League.

Mr Alamgir is the BNP’s longest-serving secretary general and represents his ancestral constituency in Thakurgaon, northern Bangladesh.

(DPA/NAN)