by Ali Asif Shawon in Dhaka Tribune, Feb 3, 2023
Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina is likely to finalize the choice of the ruling party’s presidential candidate at the parliamentary party meeting of February 8.
It is almost a given that the country’s 22nd president will be elected from within the ruling party, and s/he will be someone the premier can trust. Yet speculations centering on the nomination have been rife for the last few weeks, given that the next parliamentary election is likely to be held in January next year.
It is unlikely that the opposition Jatiya Party will field a candidate.
There have been several names making the rounds regarding the next head of state since President M Abdul Hamid cannot seek a third term under the constitution. His tenure ends on April 23.
Although the president is the 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.
Meanwhile, two leaders of the Awami League have said all guesswork will be over at the closed-door meeting of the lawmakers, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Several highly-placed sources of the ruling party told Dhaka Tribune that only two names were in consideration at the last moment. They are the Speaker of 11th Parliament, Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Advisor Dr Mashiur Rahman. Choudhury and Rahman have been holding their positions since 2013 and 2009, respectively.
They said that it would be a surprise if a new face appeared as the president, other than Shirin Sharmin Choudhury or Mashiur Rahman.
Senior Awami League leader and seven-time lawmaker Abdul Hamid was elected president at the last two elections. He was sworn in for his second term on April 24, 2018.
The election process
According to the Election Commission, candidates must submit their nomination papers by February 12, which will be scrutinized on February 13. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is February 14.
The chief election commissioner, the electoral officer of the election, will conduct the presidential election.
Under the rules, the EC has to hold the presidential election between January 24 and February 22.
Article 123 of the Constitution says the presidential election must be held 90 to 60 days before the expiry of the five-year term.
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 secures the nomination are required to be members of parliament. A majority of MPs elect the president.
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.
Other names in the air
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader was in consideration. But he has been tasked with regrouping the party and preparing for the general election, party sources have said.
Presidium member Matia Chowdhury’s name also came up, but she was recently made the deputy leader of parliament.
Another Presidium Member and former minister, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, was considered for the post. He might not, however, become president because of his old age and physical condition, party sources said.
Former chief justice and Law Commission Chairman ABM Khairul Haque was also on the primary list, but he did not evince interest in the office. He chose not to accept the offer since he had issued the order to abolish the caretaker government system, according to a top official of parliament.
Senior leaders of the party said they would prefer a politician rather than a former bureaucrat or retired judge for the office.
Shirin Sharmin Choudhury is the first female speaker of parliament in Bangladesh.
She was also chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association between 2014 and 2017. She previously served as the state minister for women and children affairs.
On the other hand, former bureaucrat Mashiur Rahman has been serving as the prime minister’s economic affairs adviser since 2009. After the Liberation War, he worked as private secretary to the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
A key policymaker, Mashiur Rahman had avoided public appearance for a long time after the World Bank alleged a corruption conspiracy in the Padma Bridge project, naming a minister and some government officials, including the advisor. The premier had Mashiur Rahman, the former minister and a former secretary appear on the dais while inaugurating the bridge on June 25 last year.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2023/02/03/morning-brief-179
