Mohammad Shahabuddin: Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin resigns ahead of Sheikh Hasina’s planned return, reports of rift with govt
Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin resigned on Friday, nearly two years before the end of his five-year term, Reuters reported citing local media.His resignation comes amid reports that the government was no longer comfortable with his continuation in office because of his perceived ties to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.Shahabuddin’s resignation comes just days after Hasina, who has been living in India since being ousted in the student-led uprising in August 2024, announced that she plans to return to Bangladesh in December and surrender following her conviction by a war crimes tribunal.Under Bangladesh’s Constitution, Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad will serve as interim president until a new head of state is elected.According to Reuters, the government had asked him to step down because of his longstanding association with Hasina after she announced plans to return to the country. Shahabuddin, a former ally of Hasina and a nominee of the now-banned Awami League, was elected unopposed in 2023 for a five-year term. He is the last constitutional office-holder from the previous Awami League administration to remain in office following the 2024 uprising that forced Hasina to flee to India.According to Bangladeshi media reports, the government had become unhappy over reports that Shahabuddin had recently attempted to re-establish contact with Hasina. However, senior political leaders said the reasons behind his resignation were ‘more complex’, particularly after Hasina publicly announced her intention to return.Last November, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in absentia for their role in the crackdown on the 2024 student protests, charges she has denied.Shahabuddin, a 1971 Liberation War veteran and former judge, had earlier told Reuters that he intended to step down after the general election, saying he had been sidelined during the tenure of the interim administration that replaced Hasina’s government.The resignation comes at a politically sensitive time as the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman prepares for Hasina’s planned return, which is expected to test the country’s political stability after two years of upheaval.
