The government will have to choose a new face as the 22nd president of Bangladesh as incumbent head of state Abdul Hamid will not be eligible for re-election when his second consecutive term ends on April 23.
Highly placed sources in the ruling Awami League told Dhaka Tribune that party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will choose a suitable candidate for the office of head of state to replace Abdul Hamid, but she has not shared any names yet.
Matia Chowdhury, a presidium member of the Awami League, recently said: “The prime minister, who is also our party president, will take comments and observations from parliamentary party members before selecting a candidate. The president will be elected in due time, in line with the constitution.”
Election Commission sources said the presidential election schedule may be announced in the last week of this month. The Election Commission Secretariat has already started preparatory activities and the presidential election may be discussed at an upcoming Election Commission meeting.
According to Section 5 of the Presidential Election Act, 1991, the Election Commission will schedule the presidential election, which will be conducted in parliament as per Section 4.
According to Article 50 of the Constitution, a citizen of Bangladesh can be elected President for a maximum of two terms, whether consecutively or otherwise. As such, President Abdul Hamid cannot be re-elected without an amendment to the constitution.
Law Minister Anisul Huq and several senior cabinet members said the government has no intention of amending the constitution and is looking for a qualified person for the office of president. The candidate will be elected through a regular presidential election, which may be held some time in February.
The candidates
According to several highly placed sources in parliament, is it almost certain that the President will be elected from the ruling party as no other political party in the 11th parliament is capable of securing a win for their candidates. As such, other parties are unlikely to put up any candidates for the position.
There are several names being talked about among leaders and activists of the Awami League, including Speaker of Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Awami League presidium member and former minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Matia Chowdhury, as well as some former ministers, bureaucrats, and justices.
A popular, well-known, educated, and trusted person who is acceptable to all will be elected as the president of the country, party insiders said.
On April 24, 2013, Abdul Hamid took office for the first time as president. On April 24, 2018, he assumed responsibility as president for a second term.
Before becoming President, Abdul Hamid was elected member of parliament seven times and served as speaker twice.
Zillur Rahman, who served as president before Abdul Hamid, had a distinguished political career in Bangladesh.
Eligibility criteria and role of the president
To be a candidate for the office of President, one does not have to be a member of parliament, but a nominator and one who seconds the nomination are required from among the members of parliament. The president is elected by majority vote among MPs.
According to Article 48(4) of the Constitution, no person shall be eligible to be elected President if he or she is less than thirty-five years of age, not qualified for election as a member of parliament, or has ever been removed from the office of President by impeachment under the Constitution.
Although the President is head of state in Bangladesh, the president does not have any executive powers. It is rather an ornamental post, according to political analysts.
The President acts on the advice of the head of government, in other words the prime minister, but according to Article 48(3) of the Constitution, the President is not obliged to directly consult the prime minister on the appointment of the prime minister and the chief justice.
