Who will be the new president, who is in the discussion?

Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has taken over as the acting president after the resignation of the current Speaker of the National Assembly Md. Shahabuddin. He will serve as the acting president until the next president is elected. Since then, intense discussions have started in the political arena about who the new president will be. Although various names have been discussed in various quarters, the BNP wants the new president to be elected from the party leadership.
However, a final decision will be taken on this issue after discussions in the party’s policy-making forum. And the party’s top leaders say that someone with an acceptable personality, morality, and the party’s trust should be elected president.
Since the constitution has not been amended yet, the new president is going to be elected using the existing old system. That is, 350 members of parliament will elect the president. Even if the MPs vote against the party candidate, the membership of the parliament will be canceled. That is why the BNP candidate who gets the majority in parliament is going to be the next president. The term and duration of the president are quite important from various strategic aspects in the political arena.
Names discussed for the post of president
The names of several senior BNP leaders are under discussion for the post of president. There is a vigorous discussion about the party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir taking over the responsibility. In addition, the names of standing committee members Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr. Moin Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy are also under discussion in various circles.
In addition, the names of Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and party vice-president and former home minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury have also come under discussion as possible presidents. However, according to a large section of BNP leaders, someone from the party and political leadership should be chosen for the post of president.
Top leaders in favor of electing someone trusted by the party
BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said that the presidential election will be held according to the constitution. The new president is elected by the votes of members of parliament. Naturally, the person nominated by BNP will be elected president. Advisor to the party chairperson Moazzem Hossain Alal said that the presidential election will be held by the votes of members of the National Assembly. Since BNP is the absolute majority party in parliament, naturally the party’s nominated candidate will be elected president.
He also said that the president should be someone who is loyal to the party, tested and follows the ideals of martyred President Ziaur Rahman and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. According to him, when the president is elected from the political leadership, mutual respect and political ethics are maintained between both parties.
The BNP Chairperson’s advisor said that professionals usually work in a certain scope. But just as a politician can sit with the common people in a tea shop, he can also participate in state functions at Bangabhaban. There are people with such qualities and experience in BNP. On the other hand, BNP Standing Committee member Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said that there is a clear provision in the constitution in this regard. If the president resigns, the speaker will serve as the acting president until a new president is elected.
He also said that the party will decide who will be nominated for the post of president through discussions. If the nomination is given from the party, the candidate will also be from the party. After completing the formalities set by the Election Commission, the matter will be settled through a vote in the National Assembly. This member of the BNP Standing Committee commented that the nomination of the President should be from within the BNP. However, in the geopolitical reality, the possibility of a non-political person outside the political circle becoming the President also depends on various equations. The party’s final decision on the next presidential election will come from the Standing Committee led by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.