A presidential election was held on 20 August 2026 to elect the 23rd president of Bangladesh. It took place following the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin, the 22nd president of Bangladesh, citing health reasons. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected as the president, receiving almost three-fourths of the parliamentary votes. It was Bangladesh's first contested presidential election in 35 years, the last one being in 1991.
Background
After the 2008 general election, the Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, came to power and retained it for almost 15 years, until her resignation in the July Uprising in 2024. International observers and opposition entities had heavily accused the Awami League regime for democratic backsliding and autocratic tendencies. Mohammed Shahabuddin, a low profile retired jurist, was nominated by Sheikh Hasina for the 2023 presidential election, which he won unopposed like most indirect presidential elections before. He took office on 24 April 2023, succeeding Mohammad Abdul Hamid, the longest serving president in the country's history.
Following the fall of Hasina regime in the July Uprising, Mohammed Shahabuddin remained the only person in high office of the state with ties with the Awami League. President Shahabuddin had then assumed de facto executive power from 5 to 8 August in the constitutional crisis as the Reuters described him as the "sole remaining constitutional authority", until the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed and sworn in. Shahabuddin's ties with the former government made the relation between him and the interim government worsen, with the president being cut off from most ceremonial duties and his press, media and communication wing obliterated. Organisations related to the July Uprising, including the Students Against Discrimination, Jatiya Nagorik Committee, Inqilab Moncho and with the support of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, actively campaigned for the removal of Shahabuddin from presidency; accusing him of giving tacit support to Hasina regime's crimes against humanity and July massacre, and attempting to rehabilitate Awami League. Shahabuddin remained in office despite calls for his resignation, mostly with the support of the Bangladesh Armed Forces and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which opposed his removal due to their concerns about deepening constitutional crisis and an attempt to prolong an unconstitutional government. However, Shahabuddin still expressed his desire to resign after the scheduled 2026 general election, alleging Muhammad Yunus of constitutional misconduct and humiliating the presidency.
After the landslide victory of BNP in the 2026 general election from which the Awami League was barred from, Shahabuddin was allowed to resume his presidential duties and press activities by Tarique Rahman's government. Shahabuddin backtracked from his desire to resign after that.
On July 24, 2026, Shahabuddin resigned from office, citing severe health complications, including autonomic neuropathy, heart disease, and related physical and mental incapacity that prevented him from carrying out his constitutional duties. After his resignation, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad became the acting president.
Electoral system The president is elected by an indirect election by the members of the Jatiya Sangsad as per Article 48 of the Constitution. Under Section 10 of the Presidential Election Act, lawmakers vote publicly, with each voter casting one ballot. However, since 1991, when parliamentary government system was restored in Bangladesh, all of government party candidates have been elected uncontested.
According to Article 70 of the Constitution, members of parliament cannot vote against their party's candidate, a provision that arguably also applies to presidential elections as well.
On 13 August 2026, a week before the election, a writ petition was filed with the Supreme Court challenging Article 70, arguing that it affects the independence of Parliament. On 18 August 2026, the High Court summarily rejected the petition.
Election schedule
+SchedulePoll EventScheduleDeclaration of the schedule6 August 2026Application deadline for candidates13 August 2026 (10:00 am to 16:00 pm)Scrutiny of nomination16 August 2026 Last date for withdrawal of nomination18 August 2026 Date of poll20 August 2026 (14:00 pm to 17:00 pm)Date of counting of votes20 August 2026 Oath taking ceremony21 August 2026
Electoral college
+2026 Bangladesh presidential electoral collegeBlocPartyElectorate(s)BNP+Bangladesh Nationalist Party247257Bangladesh Jatiya Party1Ganosanhati Andolan1Gono Odhikar Parishad1Independents (parliamentary party)711 Parties+Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami7790National Citizen Party8Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis3Khelafat Majlis1Jatiya Ganotantrik Party1Islami Andolan Bangladesh1Independent1Total349Source: Voter List Gazzette
Candidates 11 Party Alliance CandidateBornAffiliationPositions heldHome districtDate announcedRef.Oli AhmadChandanaish, Bengal Province, British IndiaLiberal Democratic Party President of the Liberal Democratic Party Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources President of Bangladesh Football Federation Chittagong
Bangladesh Nationalist Party CandidateBornAffiliationPositions heldHome districtDate announcedRef.Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir26 January 1948 (age 78) Thakurgaon, East Bengal, Dominion of PakistanBangladesh Nationalist Party Member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party Senior joint secretary-general Secretary-general
Vice-president of Asia Pacific Democracy Union State Minister of Agriculture State Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism Thakurgaon
Results BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was declared the winner of the presidential election following a 255–88 vote, defeating the LDP candidate Oli Ahmad.
Six MPs namely Mirza Abbas, Osman Faruk, and Mustafa Kamal Pasha of the BNP, Gazi Nazrul Islam, who was expelled from Jamaat, Abul Hasan of Khelafat Majlis, and independent Rumeen Farhana did not vote in this election.
Reactions and responses Awami League The president of the banned Awami League and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile in India since her resignation in 2024, in an online meeting with party members, talked about the election while criticizing Muhammad Yunus, BNP, and their allies, stating,
Journalist Anis Alamgir described her acknowledgement for Fakhrul "rare" but a sort of schadenfreude; quoting,
Earlier, Hasina called Shahabuddin's resignation "forced", comparing it with previous incidents under Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, saying,
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, said that back when Fakhrul was his counterpart in BNP, Quader asked him about Ziaur Rahman's involvement in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, facilitating the assassins, and making the Indemnity Ordinance, 1975 a recognised law. Quader claimed that Fakhrul, who had stated that Zia was innocent, was unable to answer his questions, even till that day when he became "his excellency, the president".Mamun, Al Saifullah (23 August 2026). যে প্রশ্নের জবাব মির্জা ফখরুল দিতে পারেননি: ওবায়দুল কাদের [The question Mirza Fakhrul couldn't answer] (in Bengali). Retrieved 26 August 2026.
Former foreign minister and AL member A. K. Abdul Momen however congratulated Fakhrul on his presidency. When asked on Deutsche Welle Bangla, Momen replied that it was a personal gesture rather than a stance of the party, and Fakhrul was his close friend and classmate. Answering further questions regarding Fakhrul's treatment as an opposition figure, Momen claimed that during his ministership he did tell the government to not prosecute politicians vehemently and Fakhrul was "a good guy", but was told that Fakhrul was an abettor and was shown evidences by agencies.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh After Shahabuddin's resignation, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, being the only non-aligned party in the parliament, called for a presidential election in line with the July Charter, and demanded the constitution to be amended swiftly in the next parliamentary session. On polling day, the party initially announced an election boycott. In a statement signed by party secretary Gazi Ataur Rahman, they cited their protest against BNP's backtracking from the reforms agreed upon in the July Charter as the reason and called the election "meaningless" and a "waste of people's money". However, IAB's sole MP Mahmudul Hossain Waliullah from Barguna-1 eventually cast his ballot in favor of Alamgir, inciting media speculation. Later, citing party sources, news media reported that the member voted following party Ameer Syed Rezaul Karim's directive, based on the assurances from home minister Salahuddin Ahmed that the next election would be carried out in accordance with Article 70 and other constitutional reforms.
Jatiya Party The factions of the former official opposition Jatiya Party (Ershad) congratulated Alamgir on his election separately. EC-recognised chairman GM Quader issued a statement on his own, while Anisul Islam Mahmud and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader— representing the National Democratic Front-leading faction— issued a separate joint statement. Mahmud and Howlader had also congratulated him earlier upon his nomination.
Krishak Sramik Janata League After Hafiz Uddin Ahmad assumed office as acting president, Krishak Sramik Janata League president and Bangladesh Liberation War military commander Abdul Kader Siddique congratulated him as a fellow freedom fighter and expressed hope that he'll become the "permanent (elected) president" and "play an unforgettable role during this difficult time for nation."মহমান্য রাষ্টপতিকে বঙ্গবীর কাদের সিদ্দিকী বীরউত্তম এর অভিনন্দন পত্র [Bangabir Kader Siddique BU's congratulatory letter to the honorable President] (in Bengali). 1 August 2026. Retrieved 5 September 2026. Siddique later congratulated Fakhrul on "finally being elected as president." He further stated,
See also 2026 Bangladeshi general election 2026 Bangladeshi constitutional referendum
Notes
References