BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party’s National Standing Committee, led by acting chairman Tarique Rahman, will make the final decision on Bangladesh’s next president. He made the remarks on Saturday afternoon after Md Sahabuddin Chuppu resigned, prompting discussion over who will succeed him.

Citing multiple sources in the Parliament Secretariat and the ruling party, the report said the process for electing a new president will begin when the next parliamentary session starts. Discussions have begun within BNP over possible candidates. Names under discussion include Fakhrul, Standing Committee members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan, as well as acting president and Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.

Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Professor Dr Anwarullah Chowdhury and Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, who is serving on a contract basis, were also mentioned as possible candidates. Party policymakers said the nomination would be based on the decision of the prime minister and senior party leadership. Political analysts cited in the report said BNP’s parliamentary majority would make the party’s choice decisive in the presidential election.