BNP authorises Tarique Rahman to pick presidential poll candidate

Dhaka,UPDATED: Aug 2, 2026 17:22 IST

Bangladesh's ruling Bangladesh ist Party has authorised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to choose the party's candidate for the presidential election, according to local media reports. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's Standing Committee on Saturday.

The move comes after Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad took charge as acting president following Mohammed Shahabuddin's resignation on July 24. Under Article 123(2) of the Constitution, an election to fill the vacant office of the president must be held within 90 days of the post falling vacant, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The meeting was chaired by Rahman, who is also the BNP chairman. State-owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha quoted BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as saying, "The Standing Committee has entrusted the Prime Minister and BNP Chairman to take the necessary decisions regarding the presidential election and select the party's nominee."

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the Election Commission had already indicated that it was ready to conduct the presidential election. "Once the election schedule is announced, the party chairman and Prime Minister will determine the BNP's candidate for the presidency," BSS quoted him as saying. He said no specific names were discussed at the meeting.

Alamgir said the Standing Committee also discussed the government's development activities, the upcoming local government elections and organisational matters. According to the report, BNP standing committee members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Babu Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Begum Selima Rahman and AZM Zahid Hossain were also present.

In sum, the BNP has formally left the decision on its presidential nominee to Tarique Rahman, with the election to be held within the constitutional deadline after the vacancy in the office of the president.

With PTI Inputs

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