Bangladesh’s election authorities are in the final stages of preparations for the country’s presidential election, scheduled for Aug. 20, with voting set to take place inside the national parliament building.

The Election Commission said lawmakers will cast their votes between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. local time in a continuous voting session at the parliamentary chamber. Ballots will be counted immediately after polling concludes, with official results expected to be announced the same day.

The opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col. (Retd.) Oli Ahmad as its candidate, despite acknowledging the challenge of securing enough parliamentary support.

The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has not formally announced its nominee, although senior party sources indicated that BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is expected to be the party’s presidential candidate.

Election officials confirmed that voting will be conducted through an open-ballot system under existing laws. The issue has drawn attention because the July National Charter had proposed a secret-ballot mechanism for future presidential elections.

Following a joint meeting between the Election Commission and Parliament Secretariat, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said Article 70 of the Constitution remains fully in force, meaning lawmakers must vote according to their party’s decision.

“Any member voting against the party line would risk losing their parliamentary seat under the constitutional provision,” he told reporters.

Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said lawmakers would vote from their assigned parliamentary seats. Election staff will distribute ballot papers containing voter identification details and candidate names.

Members will be required to indicate their preferred candidate and sign the ballot before depositing it into one of three ballot boxes placed in the chamber.

Officials said all 349 members of parliament are eligible to vote. Ballot counting will begin immediately after polls close, with the process taking place inside the parliamentary chamber.

Authorities also announced that voting by the acting president, parliamentary leader, opposition leader and acting speaker, along with the vote-counting process and result announcement, will be broadcast live.

The presidential election comes amid ongoing discussions about political reforms and constitutional changes, including debates over party discipline rules and voting procedures within parliament.