Jamaat on the verge of leadership change before national elections

The three-year term of the current Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, is going to end next December. In this situation, the party has started the process of electing a new Amir, which is expected to be completed within the next few months. According to the party constitution, the term of each Amir is three years and there is a provision for electing a new leader before the end of the term.

Although the national election is likely to be held next February, Jamaat wants to complete the work of electing its own leadership before that. In this process, first, the members of the Central Majlis-e-Shura announce a panel of three possible Amirs. A new Amir is elected from that panel. However, according to party tradition, voters can elect someone from outside the panel as Amir if they want. Usually, the new Amir is elected from the announced panel and the name of the panel is kept secret until the start of voting.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman was first elected Amir in November 2019 and took oath on December 5, 2020. Later, he was re-elected for a second term in 2022. This time too, he is being considered as one of the likely candidates to be elected for a third term. His popularity within the party and among his supporters is said to be relatively high. He has been able to create a positive image due to his proactivity at the field level, quick decision-making and humanitarian compassion. Especially since August 2023, his leadership in various activities of the party has brought vitality back to the party. Although he was on rest for a few days due to surgery after falling ill at a general meeting last July, he is now regularly participating in meetings and rallies again.

Party sources said that the election process is long and secret. The party's cadres spread across the country elect their Ameer through secret ballot. It has been reported that this voting and counting will be completed within the next three months and the new Ameer will take oath by December. The party's Central Assistant Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum is in charge of conducting the election. He is being assisted by Assistant Secretary General Advocate Moazzem Hossain Helal.

According to the Jamaat constitution, if this time the Ameer is elected, he will serve for 2026, 2027 and 2028. Although no specific candidate has been announced, the names of the three nominated by the Majlis-e-Shura will be announced when the voting begins. In the past, even in hostile political situations, Jamaat's leadership elections have been held on time. Even in difficult situations, the voting process was continued online.

Looking at the party history, it can be seen that Dr. Shafiqur Rahman joined Jamaat as a member of the Central Working Committee in 1998. After that, he gradually served as Sylhet Metropolitan Ameer, Central Assistant Secretary General, Executive Council Member, Acting Secretary General and Secretary General. His predecessor was Maqbul Ahmed, who was the Ameer from 2018 to 2020 and died in 2021. Before him, Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami served as the Ameer of Jamaat for 16 long years (2000-2016).

It is worth noting that after being elected as the Ameer of Jamaat, he has the right to nominate the party's Secretary General. This post plays a very important role in the running of the party. As a result, not only the election of the Ameer, but also the nomination of the new Secretary General will have a significant impact on the future activities of the party.