Mirza Fakhrul may resign from two posts on Thursday

LGRD Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir may resign from both posts on Thursday (August 13) if he is nominated as the ruling party’s candidate for the upcoming presidential election, according to party sources.

Mirza Fakhrul is currently the most-discussed candidate within the BNP for the presidency. Sources said the party is likely to announce his candidacy on Thursday if everything goes as planned.

If nominated, Mirza Fakhrul may step down as the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister as well as BNP secretary general. In that case, Wednesday or Thursday could be his final working day as a minister at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

His resignation as secretary general would also necessitate a change in the party’s top organisational post.

Speculation over the next, or 23rd, president intensified following the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin. As the BNP holds a clear majority in Parliament, the party is widely expected to nominate the next president.

Party insiders said Mirza Fakhrul’s name has gained prominence because the BNP is looking for a candidate with political experience, physical capability and loyalty to the party.

The BNP has yet to formally announce its presidential candidate. At a meeting of the party’s Standing Committee on August 1, the responsibility for selecting the candidate was entrusted to party Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Mirza Fakhrul told the media.

Meanwhile, several well-wishers greeted and congratulated Mirza Fakhrul at his ministry at the Secretariat on Tuesday amid widespread speculation over his possible nomination.

Asked about the matter, Mirza Fakhrul appeared reluctant to comment, saying, “Wait till the matter happens.”

Party insiders said the BNP has discussed several names for the presidency besides Mirza Fakhrul, including Standing Committee members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moin Khan and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, as well as Parliament Speaker and Acting President Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed.

The Election Commission (EC) announced the presidential election schedule on August 6. According to the schedule, nomination papers can be submitted until August 13, while scrutiny will take place on August 16. The deadline for withdrawing nominations is August 18.

As part of preparations for the election, the Parliament Secretariat has already sent the voter list to the EC. The list comprises the elected members of Parliament, who are constitutionally entitled to elect the president.

EC officials said the commission will scrutinise the voter list before taking the necessary steps to conduct the election.

Under the Constitution, the president is elected by members of Parliament through a secret ballot. The election must be held within 90 days of the presidency becoming vacant.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will serve as the Returning Officer, while the Speaker of Parliament is currently serving as Acting President.

Mohammed Shahabuddin, the country’s 22nd president, resigned on July 24. Following his resignation, the EC began preparations for the election of the 23rd president. The CEC has also held discussions with the Speaker regarding the election.

Earlier, on August 3, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the commission would discuss the election schedule after receiving the voter list from the Parliament Secretariat.