Presidential election: Nomination paper submission begins

Submission of nomination papers for the 23rd presidential election began at 10:00am and will continue till 4:00pm today, with voting scheduled for August 20 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

According to the election schedule announced by the Election Commission on August 6, scrutiny of nomination papers will begin at 10:00am on August 16 and continue until completion.

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Candidates can withdraw their nominations by 4:00pm on August 18.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will serve as the returning officer for the election, as required by law.

EC officials said three nomination papers have so far been collected from the CEC's office.

BNP Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi collected nomination papers on August 9.

The following day, the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance collected a nomination form for Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Oli Ahmed.

There will be no parliamentary session on voting day. However, the CEC will summon a special sitting of parliament to conduct the election, according to a gazette issued yesterday.

The EC has published the list of 349 lawmakers eligible to vote. MPs will cast their ballots at their designated seats using three transparent ballot boxes, with no voting booths.

The voting will be broadcast live, with arrangements likely to be made for journalists.

Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned as president on July 24. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has since been serving as acting president.

Under the Constitution and the President Election Act, 1991, the EC must hold a presidential election within 90 days of a vacancy.