Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, an ally of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned.
July 24, 2026, 3:42 p.mJuly 24, 2026, 3:42 p.m
The 76-year-old Shahabuddin gave health reasons for his decision in a message to Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, a presidential spokesman said in Dhaka. He was unable to carry out his official duties either physically or mentally due to various illnesses. The head of state of the South Asian country primarily plays a ceremonial role beyond day-to-day politics.
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigns.Image: keystone
Shahabuddin had been president since April 2023 and his term would have expired in 2028. He was elected president by parliament as a candidate from Hasina’s Awami League party. Despite Hasina’s political fall almost two years ago, he remained in office. Parliament Speaker Ahmad will take over Shahabuddin’s current post until a new president is elected.
Hasina’s exile in India
The increasingly authoritarian Hasina fled to India at the beginning of August 2024 after mass protests against the government and clashes between demonstrators and security forces, which has since given her protection.
In February of this year, long-time opposition politician and leader of the right-wing conservative Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, took over as head of government. His party won the parliamentary election well ahead of the country’s largest Islamist party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. (sda/dpa)