Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir officially becomes new president of Bangladesh
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has officially become the new president of Bangladesh after being sworn in during an inauguration ceremony in Dhaka on Friday.
The acting speaker of Bangladesh’s parliament, Kaiser Kamal, led the reading of Fakhrul’s oath of office at Banghabhaban, the official presidential residence, in the presence of state guests including the prime minister, cabinet members, and legislators from the opposition.
After being sworn in, President Fakhrul immediately presided over the oath-taking of six new members of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet, comprising four ministers and two ministers of state.
Following the latest reshuffle, PM Rahman’s cabinet now has 51 ministers, according to the state gazette published on Saturday.
Fakhrul, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was elected as Bangladesh’s 23rd president for a five-year term in an election on Thursday, defeating Colonel (Ret.) Oli Ahmed, the candidate put forward by the opposition led by the Jamaat-e-Islami Party.
In the indirect election, Fakhrul received 255 votes of support from members of parliament, while Oli Ahmed secured backing from only 88 members. Six legislators abstained, and one parliamentary seat remains vacant.
Bangladesh’s parliament has 300 seats plus 50 reserved seats for female legislators.
This presidential election was the first contested one held in 35 years, as previously no rival candidate had ever been fielded by the opposition.
Fakhrul, now 78 years old, became the de facto leader of the BNP when its late leader, Khaleda Zia, was imprisoned and its acting chairman at the time, Tarique Rahman, went into exile in the United Kingdom for 17 years, particularly during the 15-year rule of PM Sheikh Hasina.
Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected president during the Awami League administration led by Sheikh Hasina, resigned on 24 July on health grounds. He stepped down two years before completing a full five-year term.
After Shahabuddin’s resignation, Speaker of Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmed became acting president.