DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was appointed during the administration of removed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, stepped down Friday before completing his term, adding another chapter to the South Asian nation’s prolonged political upheaval.
The resignation comes as a new government led by Tarique Rahman — son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and a longtime political rival of Hasina — has taken control following a decisive February election victory. That election came after 18 months of transitional rule under Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Hasina had fled to India in August 2024 after a mass anti-government uprising ended her 15-year hold on power.
Shahabuddin formally submitted his resignation letter to Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Friday, citing medical reasons. The Associated Press reviewed the resignation letter. Later that day, the speaker held a news briefing confirming he had accepted the resignation.
However, local Bangladeshi media reported that Shahabuddin was effectively forced out by the current government. Allegations surfaced that he had contacted Hasina by telephone during a medical trip to London in May. The AP was unable to independently verify that claim.
Shahabuddin had long been regarded as a loyal supporter of Hasina. After her removal from power, he became a target of the student-led movement that drove her from office. Demonstrators labeled him a Hasina collaborator and took to the streets calling for his resignation and arrest.
The National Citizen Party — a political organization formed by the student leaders of that uprising — had been actively campaigning against Shahabuddin for an extended period.
Bangladesh’s constitution dictates that when a president resigns, the speaker of Parliament assumes the role on a temporary basis until a new president is chosen by lawmakers. The National Citizen Party has joined an election coalition led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist political party.
While the presidency is largely a ceremonial position, the role carries constitutional significance during times of political crisis and also serves as commander-in-chief of Bangladesh’s armed forces.
Shahabuddin was inaugurated as Bangladesh’s 22nd president on April 24, 2023. Hasina secured a fourth straight term in a January 2024 election that was boycotted by major opposition groups, including Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami.
With Shahabuddin’s departure, Hasina has lost one of her most prominent remaining allies inside the country. The exiled former prime minister has told Indian media outlets that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December and turn herself in to face legal charges against her.
India has declined to extradite Hasina to Bangladesh despite repeated formal requests from both the Yunus-led interim administration and the current government.
In November, a special Bangladeshi tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for ordering a violent crackdown on the uprising. A United Nations report estimated that nearly 1,400 people lost their lives during that crackdown. Hasina has denied all charges from her place of exile.
