Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, general secretary of Bangladesh’s ruling party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is now on his way to becoming the next President of the country. BNP has made him its candidate for the presidential elections on Thursday. He studied economics at Dhaka University in the 1960s and became a lecturer at Dhaka College in 1972. In 2001, he was the first Minister of State for Agriculture in the Khaleda Zia-led BNP government. Later he also held the responsibility of Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism. Resigned from the post of General Secretary of BNP As soon as he got the candidature, 78-year-old Fakhrul resigned from the post of General Secretary of BNP and the Standing Committee of the party. His nomination papers were submitted to the Election Commission on Thursday itself. The party delegation led by BNP standing committee member Abdul Moin Khan reached the Election Commission in Agargaon, Dhaka and handed over nomination papers to Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Presidential elections will be held on August 20. In Bangladesh, the people do not directly elect the President. Members of Parliament elect the President. Voting for the presidential election will take place on August 20. In the general elections held in February, BNP got two-thirds majority in Parliament. Therefore, Fakhrul’s victory is considered almost certain. Former President Mohammad Shahabuddin had resigned from the post on July 24 citing health reasons. There were still about two years left in his tenure. At present, Speaker of Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmed is handling the responsibility of Acting President. If Fakhrul wins the election, he will be the 23rd President of Bangladesh. The journey started from student politics. Fakhrul’s political journey is almost six decades old. He started student politics while studying at Dhaka University in the 1960s. He was associated with East Pakistan Students Union at that time. He was the president of the Dhaka University unit of the students’ organization during the massive mass movement against President Ayub Khan in 1969. Due to political activities he was also arrested and had to go to jail. However, after student politics he did not immediately enter active politics. After completing his studies, he started his career as a teacher. In 1972, he became a lecturer at Dhaka College. Later he also taught in many government colleges. Fakhrul also worked in the government system. He was Deputy Director in the Directorate of Inspection and Audit. Apart from this, he was also associated with Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO. In the early 1980s, he also served as private secretary to the then Deputy Prime Minister SA Bari. But after a few years he decided to leave the government job and join active politics. Fakhrul, who entered politics in 1986, left his government job in 1986. Two years later, in 1988, he was elected Chairman of Thakurgaon Municipality as an independent candidate. He joined BNP during the anti-Ershad movement in the early 1990s. In 1992, he was made the president of Thakurgaon district unit of BNP. This was the beginning of his transition from local politics to national politics. Became MP and Minister in 2001 In the 2001 general elections, Fakhrul was elected MP as a BNP candidate from Thakurgaon-1 seat. He was made the first Minister of State for Agriculture in the Khaleda Zia-led BNP government. Later he also held the responsibility of Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism. The BNP went into opposition after the 2008 elections. After this, Fakhrul’s role in the party continued to increase. Fakhrul, who was the General Secretary of BNP for almost a decade, was made Senior Joint General Secretary by the National Council of BNP in 2009. In 2011, he became the acting general secretary of the party. Nearly five years later, on 30 March 2016, he was officially appointed General Secretary of BNP. After this, he remained one of the most prominent faces of the party for almost a decade. From the arrest of Khaleda Zia to anti-government protests and political conflicts over elections, Fakhrul remained on the BNP’s side on almost every major issue. He was also among the prominent leaders who presented the party’s side in front of the media. During this period, he was arrested several times and had to spend some time in jail. His political language has been more restrained than that of many other BNP leaders. Due to his long political experience, he is counted among the experienced leaders and key strategists of the party. Prime Minister Tariq Rehman, who broke away from the party, proposed Fakhrul’s name for the post of President. After getting approval from the standing committee, Fakhrul resigned from the post of general secretary and committee member. According to the Constitution of Bangladesh, the post of President is above active party politics. Therefore, his resignation from party posts is being linked to the possible new role of the presidency. Opposition has also fielded its candidate. Bangladesh’s main opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami has also fielded its candidate in the presidential election. Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, leader of the Jamaat-led alliance and president of the Liberal Democratic Party, has submitted his nomination papers. However, due to BNP’s two-third majority in Parliament, Fakhrul’s chances of victory are considered quite strong. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s political journey has passed through many different roles. Starting out as a student leader, he became a teacher, worked as a government official and was a municipal president. After this he became MP and Minister of State. Then, as the General Secretary of BNP, he remained the main face of the party’s politics for almost a decade. Now he is moving towards the highest constitutional post of Bangladesh. If he wins in Parliament on August 20, the biggest challenge before him will be to rise above party politics and play the role of the constitutional head of the entire country.
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