BNP will decide its nominee for the next president of Bangladesh through the party forum, LGRD Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said today.
Fakhrul made the remarks while responding to journalists after attending the inauguration of the 36th Annual Planning Conference at the Rural Development Academy (RDA) in Sherpur, Bogura.
“BNP will hold a meeting on this matter; the standing committee will meet. We haven't even had a meeting yet. The final decision of BNP will be known after the meeting,” he said.
Asked about speculation over his own name as a possible presidential candidate, Fakhrul avoided commenting and said the decision taken by the party forum would be considered final.
Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as Bangladesh’s president on Friday, citing health reasons, ending days of uncertainty over his position. He submitted his resignation letter to Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad through his representatives, hours after the speaker returned to Dhaka from Thailand.
According to the Constitution, Speaker Hafiz immediately assumed the responsibilities of acting president. The Election Commission must now arrange a presidential election within 90 days, in which members of parliament will elect the next head of state.
Earlier, Fakhrul addressed the annual planning conference of RDA, where he said improving the livelihoods of farmers and modernising agricultural technology were essential for the country’s development.
He said development should not focus only on infrastructure projects like roads, but also on improving the living standards of farmers.
“Marginal farmers are not getting fair prices for their produce despite their hard work. As a result, people are gradually losing interest in agriculture,” he said.
Bogura-5 MP Golam Mohammad Siraj and Bogura-4 MP Md Mosharaf Hossain, who attended the event as special guests, stressed the need for joint efforts to modernise agriculture and ensure fair prices for crops.
The programme was chaired by RDA Acting Director General Dr Abdul Majid and was also addressed by Rural Development and Co-operatives Division Secretary Shawkat Rashid Chowdhury.
