11-party alliance nominates Oli Ahmed for presidential election.
Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-Party Alliance today submitted the nomination paper of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Colonel (Retd) Oli Ahmed for the presidential election slated for August 20.
A delegation of the 11-party alliance, led by the alliance coordinator and Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad, submitted the nomination paper to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin, the Chief Election Officer for the presidential election, at the Election Commission Building in Agargaon here.
Election Commission Secretary Akhter Ahmed was present when the nomination paper was received.
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Opposition Leader in the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shafiqur Rahman (Dhaka-15 lawmaker) proposed Oli Ahmed's nomination, while National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker from Narayanganj-4 Abdullah Al Amin supported it.
After filing the nomination paper, Hamidur Rahman Azad said, "We submitted the nomination paper today in accordance with the election schedule. CEC A M M Nasir Uddin has accepted our nomination paper."
He said the alliance's nominated candidate, Colonel (Retd) Oli Ahmed, is a decorated freedom fighter. "We hope our candidate will be declared a valid candidate after scrutiny on August 16," he said.
He said, "Whether we win or lose here is not the issue. We do not want any election to be held without competition. This is the beauty of democracy. We have taken this decision to bring democracy back on the right track."
Earlier, the Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the presidential election on August 6. According to the schedule, August 13 was set as the date for submission of nomination papers, while voting will be held on August 20.
Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed said the Chief Election Commissioner finalized the schedule in consultation with the Acting Speaker in accordance with Section 5(3) of the Presidential Election Act, 1991.
He said nomination papers could be submitted from 10 am to 4 pm on August 13. The nomination papers will be scrutinized on August 16. The last date for withdrawal of candidacy is August 18 until 4pm. Voting will be held on August 20 from 2pm to 5pm in the chamber of the parliament.
Akhtar Ahmed said the voter list for the presidential election has already been prepared.
