Bangladesh lawmakers to elect new president on Aug. 20

Bangladesh will hold its presidential election on Aug. 20, with voting scheduled from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Election Commission announced Wednesday.

Election Commission senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed announced the schedule at the commission’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka.

Candidates may submit nomination papers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 13. Election officials will begin scrutinizing the papers at 10 a.m. on Aug. 16 and continue until the process is completed.

Ahmed said the schedule was issued under the Presidential Election Act of 1991 after consultations between the chief election commissioner and the speaker of parliament.

The commission has received an electoral roll containing the names of 349 members of parliament from the Parliament Secretariat. Ahmed said election officials had reviewed preparations and would complete the remaining administrative procedures under the announced schedule.