How does Bangladesh elect its president?

With the Election Commission announcing August 20 as the date for Bangladesh's next presidential election, attention has turned to a process that differs significantly from the country's parliamentary polls.

Unlike general elections, where citizens cast their ballots, the president is elected by members of parliament through an indirect election, as provided in Article 48 of the Constitution.

The Constitution also sets a timeline for holding the election. Under Article 123, the presidential election must be held between 60 and 90 days before the expiry of the incumbent president's term.

The post of the country's highest constitutional office fell vacant following the resignation of the immediate past president, Mohammed Shahabuddin, on July 24. Under the constitution, the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, has since been serving as the acting president until a new president assumes office.

As the election schedule is now announced, the political parties will now nominate their aspirants, and submit their nomination papers to the EC within the stipulated timeframe. After scrutinising the nominations and completing the withdrawal process, the EC finalises the list of candidates.

An actual vote by MPs takes place only if there is more than one valid candidate. In that case, members of parliament elect the president through voting. However, if only one candidate remains valid after the nomination process, that candidate is declared elected unopposed, and no voting is required.

After being elected, the president takes the oath of office before the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad before formally assuming office.

Although the president is the constitutional head of the state, the office is largely ceremonial. The president generally acts on the advice of the prime minister, except in a few matters, such as appointing the prime minister and the chief justice under the constitutional provisions.

The office, however, assumes added significance during elections. The president plays a constitutional role in facilitating the Election Commission's work by issuing necessary directives, after consultation with the commission, to ensure it can effectively discharge its responsibilities.

To be eligible for the office of president, a candidate must be at least 35 years old, be qualified to contest a parliamentary election, and must not have been removed from the office through impeachment.

The president serves a five-year term from the day he or she assumes office. According to Article 50 of the Constitution, no person can hold the office of president for more than two terms, whether the terms are consecutive or not.