Bangladesh Nationalist Party has not yet selected a candidate for the presidency, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said after a preparatory meeting on the election at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday. He said the party’s standing committee had assigned Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to decide the matter. The Election Commission meeting with acting Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal began at 11am.

Moni said voting would take place in the presence of the leader of the House, the opposition leader and the Speaker, with live media coverage continuing until results are announced. The vote will be held inside parliament under the rules of Article 70, with lawmakers casting ballots according to their seat numbers. He said members voting against their party’s decision would lose their parliamentary membership.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam alleged that the government was not implementing a presidential election in line with the July Charter. He said the 11-party alliance had nominated a candidate to prevent an uncontested election. Nominations are due on August 13, scrutiny is set for August 16, withdrawal closes on August 18, and voting will run from 2pm to 5pm on August 20. The Election Commission began preparations after the 22nd president, Md Shahabuddin, resigned on July 24.