The Darbar Hall at Bangabhaban has been fully prepared for the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 21.
President’s Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam said all preparations for the ceremony have already been completed.
“The arrangements for the honourable president’s swearing-in are fully ready,” he said, adding that the Cabinet Division is responsible for conducting the entire ceremony.
Acting Speaker Kaiser Kamal will administer the oath to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani will conduct the ceremony.
According to officials of the Cabinet Division, more than 1,200 guests have been invited to attend the event.
Extensive preparations have been made to welcome the new president. The Cabinet Division said around 25 separate preparatory stages have been completed ahead of the ceremony. Although the formal oath-taking process usually takes only seven to eight minutes, preparations for the event began nearly a month ago.
The Cabinet secretary will oversee the overall management of the ceremony in addition to conducting the proceedings. A subcommittee led by a senior official has also worked on preparing the guest list, printing and distributing invitations, and ensuring that invitations reached key dignitaries.
Special invitations have been sent to the prime minister, speaker, chief justice, foreign diplomats, and senior military and civilian officials, alongside other important figures of the state.
A former Cabinet secretary said one of the most challenging aspects of organizing a presidential swearing-in ceremony is inviting key guests according to protocol, arranging their seating in designated places and ensuring proper hospitality. Finalizing invitations for political leaders, journalists and representatives of civil society is also a major logistical task, he said.
The Darbar Hall currently has seating capacity for around 700 people. However, approximately 1,500 invitation cards have been printed for Friday’s ceremony. Officials said seating arrangements are being expanded to accommodate around 850 guests inside the Darbar Hall, while LED screens will be installed in the verandas and a specially arranged outdoor canopy area for other invitees.
Earlier on Thursday, voting for the presidential election was held in the Parliament Chamber of the Jatiya Sangsad. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), faced Oli Ahmed, the candidate backed by an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Of the 349 members of parliament eligible to vote, nine were absent. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected president after securing 255 votes, while Oli Ahmed received 88 votes.
Chief Election Commissioner and Returning Officer A.M.M. Nasir Uddin announced the result after the votes were counted. The official gazette announcing the presidential election results was subsequently published on Thursday evening.