Jamaat set to contest presidential election

Jamaat‑e‑Islami has decided to contest the upcoming presidential election, with the 11‑party alliance to finalise the candidate through discussions.

The announcement came last night shortly after a meeting of Jamaat’s central executive council, where the decision was taken unanimously.

According to a press release, top leaders of the 11-party alliance will meet today to finalise the candidate.

The meeting has been scheduled for 11:30am at the official residence of Jamaat Ameer and Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman on Minto Road, according to a separate press note issued late last night.

Contacted, Saiful Alam Khan Milon, a member of Jamaat’s central executive council and the lawmaker from Dhaka-12, appeared to suggest that Jamaat was looking to field a candidate who would have broad public acceptance.

“We will field a very good candidate, InshaAllah. It will be a befitting candidate whom the nation will accept,” he said.

Asked why Jamaat was participating despite the ruling party’s parliamentary majority making the election outcome largely predictable, Milon said the party would not base its decision on the ruling party’s position.

“The ruling party will do its job, and we are doing ours,” he said.

Jamaat’s press release added that the meeting also discussed the overall political situation in the country, constitutional reform and various programmes announced by the 11-party alliance, the release said.

Meanwhile, alliance partner National Citizen Party (NCP) had not yet decided whether to participate in the presidential election.

“Discussions are still under way. We have a meeting on Sunday [today], and we will be able to confirm our position after that,” Member Secretary Akhter Hossen said last night.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, another partner in the alliance, has no plan to field a candidate.

The issue was not discussed at the party’s monthly meeting of its central committee held yesterday, Secretary General Jalaluddin Ahmad said last night.

Asked about his personal view, Jalaluddin said the party has no intention of fielding a presidential candidate.

Pointing to the BNP’s two-thirds majority in parliament, he said, “You know who the voters are in this election. The members of parliament are the voters. So what’s the point of fielding a candidate?”

He went on to say he expected the 11-party alliance to eventually decide against fielding a candidate.

According to the Election Commission’s announced schedule, August 13 is the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the presidential election.

Nomination papers will be scrutinised on August 16. If there is only one valid candidate, the Election Commission will declare that candidate elected.

Under the constitution, only members of parliament can vote in a presidential election. With the BNP holding an overwhelming majority in the current parliament, its nominee is considered the most likely to become president, although the party has yet to officially announce a candidate.

Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as president on July 24, after which Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the duties of acting president.

The constitution requires a new president to be elected within 90 days of the office falling vacant.