TDS Desk:

The newly elected president of Bangladesh is scheduled to take oath at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7:30pm on Friday, August 21, Chief Whip of Parliament Nurul Islam Moni said on Wednesday.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by the acting president, the head of government, members of the Cabinet, political leaders, lawmakers, Supreme Court judges, senior civil and military officials, diplomats and other invited guests.

Former president Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned from office on July 24, after which Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed assumed the duties of the president as acting president. Under the Constitution, the Speaker performs the functions of the president when the office falls vacant until a new president assumes office.

The election to choose the country’s 23rd president is scheduled to be held in Parliament on Thursday, August 20. The Election Commission has already announced the schedule for the election.

The newly elected president will take the oath at a special ceremony at Bangabhaban the following evening and formally assume the constitutional responsibilities of the office. Under the Constitution, the president is the head of state and the supreme commander of the armed forces.