Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the undisputed politician of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is now the 23rd President of the sovereign Bangladesh.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon, a voting took place in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban where he won the presidential election by 167 votes. His opponent was Colonel Oli Ahmad, nominated from the 11-party Alliance, received 88 votes, while Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir received staggering 255 votes.

Total number of voters was 349, while legal ballots were counted 343. Four ballots were replaced under lawful jurisdiction.

From teaching to politics, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been living a colourful life. His wonderful life journey is inspirational as well as motivating for the upcoming generation.

Life sketch of ‘The President’

Born on 26 January, 1948, Mirza Fakhrul is a habitant of the Kalibari area of Thakurgaon town. His father’s name was Mirza Ruhul Amin and mother Mirza Fatema Amin.

Mirza Ruhul Amin was a politician as well. He was a Member of the Parliament (MP) from Thakurgaon area several times at the time of Ershad regime.

Mirza Fakhrul, in his childhood, was a resident of Thakurgaon. He completed his secondary education at Thakurgaon Government Boys’High School and higher secondary from Dhaka College. Later, he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from the University of Dhaka.

He was actively participating in politics from his student days. He was a member of East Pakistan Chhatra Union and was elected general secretary of the organization’s Salimullah Muslim Hall unit.

At the time of 1969 mass uprising,  Mirza Fakhrul was imprisoned due to his contribution to the mass movement. He served as the president of Dhaka University unit while the uprising was ongoing.

From Teacher to Politician

After the independence of Bangladesh, Mirza Fakhrul joined Dhaka College as a lecturer. He was a BCS Education cadre. While President Shaheed Ziaur Rahman was on power, Mirza Fakhrul served as a private secretary to then Deputy PM SA Bari.

In 1982, SA Bari resigned from the post. Mirza Fakhrul then returned to Thakurgaon Government College to continue his professional duties as a teacher. However, he served as a deputy director of the government’s Directorate of Inspection and Audit at the same time, while also working with the Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO

The President started his political journey from the year 1988. He was elected as the chairman of Thakurgaon pourashava as an independent candidate. After the anti-autocracy movement of the 1990s, he joined BNP.

In 1992, the President became president of Thakurgaon district BNP. He was the central vice-president of the Krishak Dal consequently.

After winning the election and becoming an MP from the Thakurgaon-1 constituency in 2001, Mirza Fakhrul was made the state minister for agriculture and later served as state minister for civil aviation and tourism in the BNP government.

He was announced as the senior joint secretary general of BNP in 2009. During the current banned Awami League regime, he became widely known as the spokesperson of the opposition’s party.

As BNP Secretary General Khondokar Delwar Hossain died in March 2011, Fakhrul was made the acting secretary general of BNP by party chairperson late Begum Khaleda Zia. At the BNP’s sixth national council on 16 March, 2016, he became secretary general.

Following the BNP’s major victory in the 2026 parliamentary election, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was appointed Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives before being nominated by his party for the presidency.

Personal Life and Family

Mirza Fakhrul is married to Rahat Ara Begum, an insurance company employee in Dhaka. The couple has two daughters: Mirza Shamaruh, a former University of Dhaka lecturer currently working as a postdoctoral fellow in Australia, and Mirza Safaruh, who also graduated from the University of Dhaka and teaches at a local school.

He comes from a politically prominent family. His brother, Mirza Faisal Amin, leads the Thakurgaon district BNP.

His late uncle, Mirza Golam Hafiz, previously served as land minister, law minister, and Speaker of Parliament, while another uncle, Wing Commander S.R. Mirza, led the Directorate of Youth Camps to oversee freedom fighter training during the 1971 Liberation War.