Prez Murmu congratulates newly elected B’desh President

Dhaka, Aug 21 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu sent a congratulatory message on Friday to newly elected Bangladeshi President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the High Commission of India said.

In the message, President Murmu congratulated Mirza Fakhrul on assuming office as President of Bangladesh.

“I am confident that your long experience of public life and political leadership heralds a successful tenure in service of the people of Bangladesh,” President Murmu noted in the message, shared on X by the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh.

“India and Bangladesh share a unique relationship, rooted in a shared history of sacrifices, close cultural ties and warm bonds of friendship. In recent times, our bilateral ties have steadily expanded to several areas such as energy, technology, connectivity, youth affairs, health and education. I look forward to working with you further to strengthen the partnership between our two neighbouring countries,” the President stated in the message.

Earlier in the day, Mirza Fakhrul took the oath as the 23rd President of Bangladesh at Bangabhaban, the official residence of the President in Dhaka, local media reported.

The Acting Speaker, Barrister Kayser Kamal, administered the oath, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported.

Outgoing acting President Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, former Chief Adviser of the interim government Prof Muhammad Yunus, and several other distinguished guests attended the ceremony, the report said.

Fakhrul was elected as the 23rd President of Bangladesh on Thursday after defeating Oli Ahmed, the candidate backed by Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance.

He secured 255 votes, while Ahmed could manage only 88 of the 343 valid votes cast in the presidential election held on Thursday afternoon in the national Parliament under the supervision of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Returning Officer A M M Nasir Uddin.

The presidential election marked the first “ballot battle” in more than three and a half decades, breaking the longstanding practice of electing Presidents unopposed, a trend that continued since 1991.

The last presidential election decided by a vote in Parliament was on October 8, 1991.

–IANS

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