Dhaka, Aug 13 (V7N)- The nation is expected to get a clear idea on Thursday about who will become the country’s 23rd president, as the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the presidential election ends today.

The 11-party alliance has already announced Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col. (retd.) Oli Ahmed Bir Bikram as its candidate. Top leaders of the alliance submitted his nomination papers to the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, the BNP is set to announce its presidential candidate soon. The nomination papers of the party’s candidate are scheduled to be submitted to the EC after 1pm.

Before that, Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is holding discussions with senior party leaders at the Secretariat. The final decision on the party’s nominee is expected to be taken during the meeting.

BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is being strongly discussed as the party’s potential candidate. There are also reports of speculation within the Secretariat that Mirza Fakhrul could resign from the cabinet today if he is nominated for the presidency.

Whether Mirza Fakhrul will be the BNP’s choice or Tarique Rahman will make a surprise decision is expected to become clear shortly.

According to the presidential election schedule, Thursday is the final day for submitting nomination papers. The nominations will be scrutinized on August 16, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until 4pm on August 18. Voting, if required, will be held on August 20 from 2pm to 5pm in the session room of the National Assembly.

As multiple candidates are contesting this time, the presidential election is expected to go to a vote after 35 years. Members of Parliament will cast their votes in the election.

However, the BNP holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament, making the election of its nominated candidate highly likely. Therefore, once the BNP announces its nominee, the identity of the country’s next president will effectively become clear.

The 11-party alliance has fielded Oli Ahmed to ensure that the presidential election is contested rather than being decided without a contest.

END/SMA/AJ