BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy said Bangladesh must proceed under its existing constitution, with any obstacles addressed through constitutional amendments in the national parliament. He made the remarks on Sunday at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, after meeting Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin during scrutiny of presidential election nomination papers.

A BNP delegation led by standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan met the chief election commissioner, with National Parliament Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam present. Goyeshwar said BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had been declared a valid candidate for Bangladesh’s 23rd presidential election. He said the party would now await the election on August 20.

Responding to a question on Article 70 of the constitution, Goyeshwar said raising it before the presidential election was irrelevant and would create confusion. He said constitutional amendment could be considered collectively by the next parliament. The nomination of 11-party alliance candidate and LDP chairman Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed was also accepted as valid. Candidate withdrawal closes at 4pm on August 18, while voting is scheduled from 2pm to 5pm on August 20 in the parliament chamber.