1978 Bangladeshi presidential election
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| Turnout | 54.27% | |||||||||||||||
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Presidential elections were held in Bangladesh on 3 June 1978. They were the first direct elections for the presidency, as the president had previously been elected by the Jatiya Sangsad.[1] The result was a victory for Ziaur Rahman, who received 76.6% of the vote. Turnout was 54.3%.[2]
Campaign
Prior to the elections six parties backing Ziaur Rahman – the Bangladesh Labour Party, the Bangladesh Muslim League, the Bangladesh Scheduled Caste Federation, Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal, the National Awami Party (Bhashani) and the United Peoples' Party – formed the Jatiyatabadi Front (Nationalist Front) to support his candidacy.[3]
National Awami Party (Muzaffar) and the People's League.[3]
A group of parties led by
Ataur Rahman boycotted the elections, including the Democratic League, the Islamic Democratic League, Jatiya Dal, the Jatiya League and the Krishak Sramik Party.[3]
Results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ziaur Rahman | Jatiyatabadi Front | 15,733,807 | 76.63 | |
| M. A. G. Osmani | Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote | 4,455,200 | 21.70 | |
| Khabiruddin Ahmed | Independent | 81,425 | 0.40 | |
| Abul Basher | Jatiya Janomukti Union | 51,936 | 0.25 | |
| Azizul Islam | Independent | 49,064 | 0.24 | |
| Golam Morshed | Independent | 38,193 | 0.19 | |
| Abdus Samad | Islamic Democratic Group | 37,273 | 0.18 | |
| Sirajul Huda | Jatiya Dal (Huda) | 35,618 | 0.17 | |
| Abu Bakar Siddique | Independent | 25,077 | 0.12 | |
| Abdul Hamid | Jatiya Gano Mukti | 23,968 | 0.12 | |
| Total | 20,531,561 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 20,531,561 | 98.31 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 354,010 | 1.69 | ||
| Total votes | 20,885,571 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 38,486,247 | 54.27 | ||
| Source: Nohlen et al., Asian Affairs[4] | ||||
References
- ISBN 0-19-924958-X
- ^ Nohlen et al., p544
- ^ a b c M. A. Singammal (1979) "1978 presidential election in Bangla Desh", The Indian Journal of Political Science, volume 40, number 1, pp97–110
- ^ Asian Affairs, Volume 8, p37
