Shawdesh desk:

The ruling Awami League has nominated Anti-Corruption Commission’s former commissioner and the party advisory council member Mohammad Shahabuddin as their candidate for the post of the president.

A team of the AL, led by the party general secretary Obaidul Quader, went to the Election Commission in Bangladesh capital Dhaka and submitted his nomination papers on Sunday, the only day for filing nomination papers for the presidential election.

Shahabuddin, also a freedom fighter, is a retired district and sessions Judge, said the AL general secretary while briefing the reporters on the EC premises after submitting the nomination paper.

Prior to this, the AL parliamentary party led by its president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina had finalised the nomination on February 7.

The AL delegation team came to the EC Bhaban at Agargaon in Dhaka at about 10:45am for submitting the nomination paper signed by party’s general secretary Obaidul Quader as the proposer and it’s joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud as the supporter of the proposal.

Chief whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury, AL presidium members Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Faruque Khan and Abdur Rahman, office secretary Biplob Barua, and information and research secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, among others, were present at the EC office at that time.

Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on February 13 from 10:00am while nomination papers could be withdrawn till 4:00pm on February 14.

The 22nd presidential election will be held on February 19 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm in the Jatiya Sangsad complex.

The president may hold office for five years from the date of assumption of office.

Incumbent Md Abdul Hamid assumed office on April 24, 2018. Accordingly, his five-year tenure will end on April 23, 2023.

According to the constitution, members of parliament are voters in the presidential election.

The ruling Awami League holds an overwhelming majority in the current parliament, meaning that its candidate, if found valid, would be elected as the next president.

It is unlikely for any party, except the Awami League, to name a candidate for the post.

The Awami League Parliamentary Party on Tuesday gave the party chief and prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, the power to nominate the party’s candidate for president.