Voting in the presidential election in Parliament will be held on Thursday afternoon, while the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected President is scheduled for Friday evening at Bangabhaban.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni came up with the announcement at a briefing after a meeting of the ruling BNP’s parliamentary party at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday afternoon.
“We will vote in the presidential election on Thursday after 35 years, Inshallah. Voting will begin at 2pm and continue until 5pm,” he said.
The Chief Whip said it was jointly decided by the Election Commission and Parliament that live telecasts of parts of the voting process would be arranged.
He said a live telecast will begin five minutes before the start of voting, showing President, Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir casting their votes.
The remaining proceedings will be recorded, while another live telecast will begin five minutes before the close of voting. The announcement of the election results will also be broadcast live.
“You will see a historic moment tomorrow. A new journey of democracy will begin,” Moni said.
He said the newly elected President will take the oath of office at Bangabhaban at 7:30pm on Friday.
The BNP parliamentary party meeting began at 4pm on the ninth floor of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman in the chair and ended at 4:40pm.
BNP presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was also present at the meeting.
Speaking about the upcoming election, the Chief Whip said the country was entering a new democratic journey under the leadership of Tarique Rahman.
“We fought and struggled for 17 years under the leadership of our leader Tarique Rahman. After that struggle, we were elected and came to power through a democratic process,” he said.
“We want to establish democracy and give it an institutional shape. The government and the opposition want to work inclusively to establish democracy in the country and continue its progress,” the Chief Whip added.
Moni said the presidential election would allow people to witness once again how voting takes place in the country.
Mirza Fakhrul, nominated by the BNP and like-minded parties, will contest against retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, the candidate of an 11-party alliance including Jamaat-e-Islami.
A total of 349 Members of Parliament are eligible to vote in the election.
The presidential election is set to feature more than one candidate for the first time in 35 years.
The last presidential election involving voting in Parliament was held on October 8, 1991, when BNP candidate Abdur Rahman Biswas defeated Awami League candidate Badrul Haider Chowdhury to become the country’s 11th President.
Abdur Rahman Biswas secured 172 votes, while Badrul Haider Chowdhury received 92.
Whips Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu, Mia Nuruddin Ahmed Apu, ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan and GK Gaus, along with MPs Amirul Islam Alim and Khandaker Abu Ashfaque and Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony, among others, were present at the briefing.