Bangladesh to get new President as first phase of political transition begins

Bangladesh is set to get a new head of state as the tenure of current President Abdul Hamid will end on April 23. Hamid has served two terms. He was elected unopposed as President for the second term on February 6, 2018, AIR News said.

The forthcoming election for the new President will be held on February 19. Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said that the nomination for the post would be filed on February 12.

According to the news channel, scrutiny of the nomination papers will be done on February 13 and the withdrawal of candidature can be done till February 14 after which voting will take place at the Bangladesh Parliament, Jatiya Sangsad on February 19 between 2 pm and 5 pm.

Later this year, Bangladesh will also go in for general elections. The country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who has steered the country into an economic success, will face tough competition from her primary opposition party- Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Khaleeda Zia.

Hasina has been successful in bringing political stability by choking terror groups. Notwithstanding Hasina’s efforts in eliminating radical elements from the society, threats from non state actors continue to plague.  Recently, Hasina, inaugurated 50 model mosques across the country and has stressed the need to spread the true knowledge of Islamic values and culture and not get misled in the name of religion.

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