Staff Reporter:
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday described President elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as a “politician through and through,” saying there could be no better choice for the presidency.
“Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is a politician through and through. There could be no better choice than him,” he told journalists at the main gate of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban after Mirza Fakhrul was declared elected president in the presidential election this afternoon.
Khosru said Alamgir went through a long struggle, endured imprisonment and persecution, and fought against the autocratic regime at the cost of his health and life for which “we have regained a democratic country today”.
“An election has been held, and through that election, a parliament and a government have been formed. We all know that he was at the forefront of the movement and struggle,” he added.
The finance minister described Alamgir as an honest and competent person, saying he was delighted that “such a person is going to adorn the office of the president.”
He said the presidential election by an elected parliament itself was a major achievement, as people had fought, suffered and made sacrifices to restore democracy.
“We must continue this democratic process and sustain the culture of democracy. If this continues, InshaAllah, together we will be able to build the Bangladesh envisioned by our Prime Minister,” he said.
Asked about his expectations from the new president, Khosru said Mirza Fakhrul has come to this position today as a torchbearer of democracy and that his role in ensuring the continuity of democracy would remain the same as it had been in the past.
Alamgir was elected President with 255 votes in the presidential election held in the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday as the BNP candidate.
