Hasina will pick presidential candidate from AL, says Quader

The parliamentary group of the Awami League gave the party chief the power to pick the next President of the country, said AL general secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday, according to online and electronic media.
The disclosure came after a meeting of the AL parliamentary group on the day.
According to bdnews24.com, earlier in the morning, Quader took part in a roadshow for safe roads at the Matsyabhaban intersection in the capital and spoke to reporters about the nomination of candidates for the presidential election due on Feb 19.
Asked whether a woman will be nominated for the first time, Quader said he was not aware of it. "A proposal on this is likely to come up in the parliamentary group meeting today. The group may discuss the matter as per the agenda.
You have to wait until the end of the meeting. At the same time, the meeting will not decide everything," he said.
"Our leader Sheikh Hasina is thinking over it and will make the final decision. Our party will accept it, and that's the reality," Quader said.
Bangladesh is set to hold the 22nd presidential election, with candidates facing the deadline to submit their nomination papers for the job by Feb 12. The Bangladesh president is elected by the MPs and the chief election commissioner plays the role of the election officer.
On Apr 24, 2013, Md Abdul Hamid was sworn in as the president of Bangladesh for his first term. Before him, 16 people have headed the state for 19 terms since the nation's independence.
Hamid, however, is the only president to be re-elected through a vote in February 2018, but is constitutionally barred from serving a third term. Hamid's presidency expires on Apr 23.