DHAKA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, candidate of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was elected Bangladesh's 23rd president in a presidential election held on Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin announced.
Alamgir secured 255 votes, while his rival Oli Ahmad, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and candidate of the alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, received 88 votes.
Voting was held in the chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad, or parliament, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time. A total of 349 members of parliament were eligible to vote, and 343 valid votes were cast.
The president of Bangladesh is elected by members of parliament. The ruling BNP currently holds an absolute majority in parliament.
The presidential election was held to fill the vacancy left by former President Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu, who tendered his resignation on July 24. Under the country's Constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days after the office falls vacant.
The newly elected president is scheduled to take the oath of office on Friday evening. ■
