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The presidential election has reopened debate over Article 70 of the Constitution, which can cost parliamentarians their seats if they vote against their party.
Bangladesh’s President-elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Veteran Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected Bangladesh’s new president on August 20. It was the country’s first contested presidential election since 1991. Since then, presidential candidates had been elected unopposed, with no rival entering the race.
Alamgir, 78, received 255 votes in Parliament. His rival, Liberal Democratic Party chairman Oli Ahmad, won 88. Ahmad was backed by an 11-party opposition alliance led by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
