Jamaat to contest presidential election with Oli Ahmad as candidate
The Jamaat led 11 party alliance has chosen LDP Chairman Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad as its presidential candidate, setting up a possible contest with the BNP nominee on August 20. Oli's selection also brings a deeper political rivalry into the race, as Jamaat and BNP differ over his role in the 1971 Liberation War and have clashed over how constitutional reforms should be carried out.
In a Nutshell:
- The Jamaat led 11 party alliance has chosen LDP Chairman Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmad as its candidate for the presidential election.
- BNP Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi collected two nomination forms. The party is yet to announce its candidate for the August 20 election.
- Oli is a Liberation War veteran and Bir Bikrom recipient who served as a BNP lawmaker and minister before leaving the party to found the LDP in 2006.
- Oli has previously said Ziaur Rahman declared independence while Oli was beside him, adding to the dispute over his wartime role.
- Jamaat has backed the claim that Oli was the first to call for revolution in 1971, while the BNP's political narrative credits Ziaur Rahman with the call.
- If Oli and the selected BNP nominee both remain in the race, Bangladesh will have its first contested presidential election since 1991.
Why it matters
Oli's nomination comes as Jamaat and BNP remain divided over the unimplemented July Charter and how its constitutional reforms should be carried out. Jamaat has refused to join the BNP government's parliamentary reform process because it wants the Constitution Reform Council to implement the charter, while the BNP has moved ahead with a special parliamentary committee. The disagreement has already pushed Jamaat away from the government's reform process, and Oli's nomination gives the party another opportunity to show that it is charting its own course in opposition.
What we think
It is possible that Jamaat's choice of Oli will create more distance between the party and the BNP, especially as their disagreements have grown over the July Charter and constitutional reform. Oli was a BNP lawmaker before leaving to form the LDP, and Jamaat is now backing his disputed role in the 1971 call for revolution while the BNP credits Ziaur Rahman. With Jamaat already staying out of the BNP government's constitutional reform process because the July Charter has yet to be implemented, putting Oli forward gives the party a candidate whose political history also highlights the differences between the two sides.