Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday officially named the party's Secretary General and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as its presidential nominee.

The candidate announcement took place during a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee members alongside senior leadership at the Prime Minister’s Office located within the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman confirmed that PM Tarique Rahman delivered the nomination decision near the end of his opening statement during the session.

“He announced Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the BNP’s candidate for the presidential election,” Atikur Rahman said, adding that party leaders in attendance reacted to the declaration with extended applause.

Following the conclusion of the session, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi informed journalists that Mirza Fakhrul had already tendered his resignation from his cabinet position as Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, as well as from his post as party secretary general.

Mirza Fakhrul, 78, has served as the BNP secretary general since 2016.

His official endorsement places the veteran politician directly in the presidential contest ahead of the scheduled vote on August 20.

The party’s highest policymaking body, the BNP Standing Committee, had previously delegated the authority of selecting the presidential contender to PM Tarique Rahman.