The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance today collected a nomination form for Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Oli Ahmed to contest the presidential election scheduled for August 20.

Representatives of the alliance collected the nomination paper from the Returning Officer’s office at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin is the returning officer for the presidential election.

After collecting the nomination form, Jamaat Assistant Secretary Hamidur Rahman Azad told reporters that the alliance decided to contest the election to uphold democratic practice.

“Two days ago, the party decided we will contest. Winning or losing is not the issue here. We are bringing forward a democratic process,” he said.

Criticising the BNP, Azad accused the party of showing “duplicity” over the presidential election. “Here too, BNP has shown duplicity with the state and the people, and we want to place that before the nation,” he said.

Azad also alleged that the government had failed to implement the verdict of the referendum on the July Charter.

“We made a July Charter. A directive was issued on it, a referendum was held, and the people gave their verdict. But BNP did not implement that verdict,” he said.

He criticised Article 70 of the Constitution, saying it prevents lawmakers from exercising their voting rights independently.

“On one hand, you give them voting rights, but on the other, you impose restrictions and controls on those rights,” he said.

Azad said the presidency is the “highest office of the state” and that an uncontested election would undermine democratic practice.

“That is why we want to restore the democratic process,” he said.