Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigns, cites health issues

The Bangladesh President resigned two years before his term ends, citing health complications, with Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed set to take charge as acting President

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, a former ally of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned on Friday, two years ahead of the end of his tenure, PTI reported on Friday. The 76-year-old told The Daily Star newspaper he was "suffering from various health complications" when asked the reason for stepping down.

 

A Bangabhaban (the President's official residence) spokesman told PTI that Shahabuddin's representatives had taken his resignation letter to Parliament to be submitted to Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed. The spokesman said no official comment could be made until the Speaker formally received the letter.

 

Speaker to take over as acting president

As per PTI, according to the Bangladesh Constitution, the Speaker will serve as acting President until a new head of state is elected. According to an ANI report, once Shahabuddin formally submits his resignation to the Ahmed, the Speaker must immediately assume his new charge.

 

Bangladesh's Parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, will then be required to elect a new President within a 90-day window to complete the remainder of the current term.

Speculation over friction

Shahabuddin's resignation comes amid speculation that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government was uncomfortable with the largely titular head of state.

 

The speculation gained further traction after UK-based Bangladeshi journalist Zulkarnain Saer said on social media platform X that Shahabuddin's departure was imminent.

 

Saer also said Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani had emerged on a shortlist of potential successors for the presidency, and that no senior BNP leader was reportedly under consideration for the post, according to ANI. These reports were subsequently picked up and widely circulated by mainstream Bangladeshi publications.

A holdover from the Hasina era

Shahabuddin, a 1971 Liberation War veteran and former lower judiciary judge, took the oath in April 2023 for a five-year term. He was elected to the post by the previous Parliament and was the only person still holding his constitutional position from that era, long after the violent July-August 2024 student-led street protests that toppled Hasina's Awami League government. Hasina has been living in India since fleeing the country on August 5, 2024.

 

As per ANI, Shahabuddin was sworn in as president on April 24, 2023, and was elected unopposed as the ruling party's nominee at the time, with his five-year term originally scheduled to run until April 2028.

What happens next

With the Speaker set to take charge as Acting President, attention will shift to the process for electing Shahabuddin's successor.

 

Since the new president's term will be tied to the current Parliament, the question of who becomes the next head of state has gained significant political importance, with Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani named as a possible contender in media reports cited by ANI.