Veteran politician Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir officially assumed office as the 23rd President of Bangladesh during an evening swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

The formal oath-taking ceremony took place at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7:30 pm where Acting Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal administered the oath of office to the new head of state at 7:37 pm.

Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani conducted the proceeding, which commenced with the playing of the national anthem and recitations from the Holy Quran.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, members of the cabinet, and hundreds of invited dignitaries.

Mirza Fakhrul, representing the BNP, won the presidency following Thursday's parliamentary vote, where he defeated his sole competitor, Col (retd) Oli Ahmad of the 11-party opposition coalition led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Out of 343 valid ballots cast during the election, Mirza Fakhrul received 255 votes compared to 88 for Oli Ahmad.

A total of six lawmakers among the 349 eligible parliamentarians did not participate in the voting process, including BNP lawmakers Mirza Abbas, Mostafa Kamal Pasha, and Dr. Muhammad Osman Farruk; independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana; and Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam.

Following the tallying of votes, the Election Commission (EC) published an official gazette confirming Mirza Fakhrul's election to the presidency.