Schedule for presidential election Thursday

Staff Correspondent, from the Parliament: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) K M Nurul Huda said that the schedule for the presidential election will be announced on Thursday. The election will be taken place on 18 to 20 February.

CEC came up with the disclosure after a meeting with the Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Wednesday.

Speaker told reporters that Parliament Secretariat sought an appointment for a meeting with CEC over the presidential election which was held today (Wednesday).  I was informed the schedule from the EC.

In reply to a query, Speaker said lawmakers elect the president. EC sought the voter list earlier. We provided it.

Earlier, CEC reached Speaker's office at the Parliament building around 3:00pm on Wednesday.

Acting secretary of the Election Commission and officials of EC secretariat and parliament secretariat were present in the meeting.

The tenure of the current president, Abdul Hamid, will end on April 23, five years after he was sworn in as the country’s 20th president following the death from natural causes of Zillur Rahman.

According to Section 123 (1) of the constitution, an election for the president’s successor must be held no sooner than 90 and no later than 60 days prior to the end of a full term – giving a deadline of February 22.

Since the constitution stipulates that the president has to be elected by the members of parliament, a vote will take place during the ongoing 19th session, which is scheduled to run until February 28.

However, no voting will be needed if there is only one candidate.

 

risingbd/Dhaka/January 24, 2018/Asad/A K Azad