Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on Friday, citing serious health problems, two years before the end of his term. Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has taken over as Acting President for 90 days under the Constitution, and a new President must be elected within that period.
Shahabuddin, a longtime ally of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, said in his resignation letter that he was no longer physically or mentally fit to continue in office. His exit comes amid political developments in Bangladesh, including recent reports of unease within Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government over his continuation in the largely ceremonial post.
In his resignation letter to Speaker Ahmed, the 76-year-old said he was “seriously ill” and suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney complications. “Recently, medical tests detected a disease called Autonomic Neuropathy. Due to this illness, I sometimes lose consciousness briefly. Because of the prevalence of these diseases, I am physically and mentally incapable of discharging the responsibilities of such an important constitutional post of President,” he wrote.
Ahmed, 80, said he had accepted the resignation after cutting short his visit to Bangkok, where he was undergoing medical treatment, and returning to Dhaka on Friday. “After accepting the resignation, I have assumed the responsibilities of the President in accordance with Article 54 of the Constitution,” he said at a press conference in his parliament office.
A 1971 Liberation War veteran, Ahmed said that when a Speaker takes the oath, it also includes the oath needed to discharge the responsibilities of the Acting President whenever required under the Constitution.
According to media reports, Shahabuddin’s resignation comes amid speculation that the government was uncomfortable with him in office. A 1971 Liberation War veteran and former lower judiciary judge, Shahabuddin took oath in April 2023 for a five-year term. He was elected by the previous parliament and was the only person still holding his constitutional position after the violent July-August 2024 student-led street protests that toppled Hasina’s Awami League government.
Hasina fled to India and has been living there since August 5, 2024. Shahabuddin’s departure comes days after the deposed premier said she was preparing to return home by December despite a pending death sentence, triggering political uproar in Bangladesh. Some reports also claimed that Shahabuddin had recently spoken to Hasina over the phone, disappointing the top leadership of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In an interview with The Daily Star on Thursday evening, Shahabuddin dismissed those reports as “baseless”.
As President, Shahabuddin was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, though the role was largely ceremonial and executive power rested with the prime minister. His position drew greater attention after the 2024 violence removed Hasina’s government and the interim regime reportedly pressured him to step down.
Two months before the February 12 elections that ended Muhammad Yunus’ 18-month rule, Shahabuddin told the media he was “humiliated” by the interim government, which had also removed his portraits from Bangladeshi embassies abroad. At the time, he said he had received “100 per cent support” from the BNP, while the army chief and the chiefs of the navy and air force had firmly stood by him. In a December 2025 interview, he said he wanted to resign after carrying out his constitutional duty of holding the February elections.
Ahmed praised Shahabuddin’s role after accepting his resignation, saying, “Even though he was elected during the tenure of a ‘mafia government’, I believe he has always expressed support and respect for the government currently elected by the people’s vote”. Shahabuddin’s resignation has now brought his term to an early end, with Ahmed stepping in temporarily until a new President is chosen within 90 days.
With PTI Inputs
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