FBCCI polls turnout 88.47pc

Business leaders from across the country yesterday voted to pick the leadership of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry for 2015-17.

The biennial election of the apex trade body started at 10:00am at the FBCCI building in the capital and continued until 5:00pm without break. The voter turnout was 88.47 percent.

The counting started at 7:00pm, but the results might not be available until midnight, said a senior official of the FBCCI.

This year, 63 candidates contested the election. Of them, 30 vied from the chamber group and the rest from the association group.

As per rules, each voter can cast 32 votes to elect 16 directors from each group.

However, 10 directors from leading chambers and another 10 directors from leading associations have already been nominated as directors of the FBCCI as per rules.

The number of valid voters from the chamber group was 436. Of them, 418 exercised their rights.

Of the 1,768 voters from the association group, 1,532 turned up and voted.

The elected directors and the nominated ones will choose president, first vice-president and vice-president from the winners for forming the 52-member executive committee of the FBCCI.

Three panels contested in the election.

Only, Nitol Niloy Group Chairman Abdul Matlub Ahmad, a presidential candidate, announced a full panel comprising 16 candidates from associations and 16 from chambers.

Monowara Hakim Ali, the incumbent first vice-president, led a panel from the chamber group, while Syed Moazzam Hossain, Kazi Ertaza Hassan and Shafquat Haider jointly announced a panel from the association group.