As per Article 48 of the constitution, the president of Bangladesh is currently elected by the members of parliament. It is an indirect election system.

Who is eligible

A person shall not be qualified for the presidential election if he/she is less than 35 years old, has not qualified for the parliamentary election and has been removed from the office of president by impeachment.

Term duration

According to Article 50 of the constitution, the president can hold office for a term of five years from the date he assumes office.

Article 50 (2) of the constitution reads that no person shall hold office as president for more than two terms, whether or not the terms are consecutive.

Election schedule

The presidential election will be held between 90 and 60 days before the president's five-year term expires, according to Article 123 of the constitution.

When the term expires, the Election Commission will announce the schedule of the presidential election, nomination submission, and withdrawal of candidature.

Following the schedule, the political parties will nominate their aspirants, and submit their nomination papers to the EC.

When the election is held

The election will be held through an indirect election system by the members of the parliament. But this system only occurs when there are more candidates than one. If there is one candidate proposed for the election, he or she will be elected unopposed, according to the constitution.

Oath taking

After the all procedures, the president has to take an oath in the presence of the Speaker of the parliament.

The post of the president is mostly ceremonial as he or she is to act as per the advice of the prime minister, except when appointing the premier and the chief justice, but it takes on some significance during polls-time. The president has a say in issuing directives to help the Election Commission function effectively.

According to section 5 (2) of the Representation of the People's Order, 1972, all executive authorities of the government shall assist the EC in the performance of its functions, and for this purpose, the president may, after consultation with the commission, issue such directions as they may deem necessary.