Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman will announce the BNP candidate for the presidential election on Thursday, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni has said.

The party will disclose the name of its candidate when nomination papers are submitted by the deadline on Thursday (13 August), he said.

Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon following a meeting between the Acting Speaker and the Election Commission secretary over arrangements for the presidential election.

Moni said members of Parliament cannot vote against their respective political parties in an election under Article 70 of the Constitution.

He also said the Election Commission would convene a sitting of Parliament for the presidential election rather than call a special session.

Referring to the government’s commitment to implementing the signed July Charter, the chief whip said, “Once the July Charter is implemented, members of Parliament will have the freedom to vote independently in future presidential elections.”