President Shahabuddin resigns

After resigning; he confirmed the move to several senior reporters via Whatsapp.

Ending all speculation, President Mohammed Shahabuddin has resigned. After resigning; he confirmed the move to several senior reporters via Whatsapp.

"It's already public knowledge. What's the point of hearing it from me? I am sick, so it is done," he said.

Asked whether he had signed the resignation letter, the president replied: "I've already told you. You can understand the rest."

Earlier, Speaker of the Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has called a press conference at 5pm on Friday at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban to announce the acceptance of the president’s resignation.

The information was disclosed on Friday afternoon in a press release issued by the Public Relations Sub-Branch-1 of the Parliament Secretariat.

The press release, signed by Md Rashed Mizan, assistant director of the Parliament Secretariat, said an emergency press conference following the acceptance of the president’s resignation would be held at 5pm on Friday in the oath-taking room of the Parliament’s East Block, Level 1.

Following the vacancy in the office of the president, the speaker will perform the duties of the president until a new president takes office, in accordance with the Constitution.

Article 54 of the Constitution states that if the office of the president becomes vacant, or if the president is unable to perform the duties of the office because of absence, illness, or any other reason, the speaker shall perform the duties of the president until a new president is elected.

Article 123(2) of the Constitution states: “If the office of the president becomes vacant due to death, resignation or removal, a new president must be elected within the next 90 days.”

Mohammed Shahabuddin took oath as the 22nd President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on 24 April 2023.

He was elected president unopposed with the nomination of the Awami League. His five-year term was scheduled to end in April 2028.

Mohammed Shahabuddin served as a commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) from 2011 to 2016 before becoming Bangladesh’s 22nd president on April 24, 2023, during the Awami League government, for a 5-year term.

Under that term, he was due to remain in office until April 2028. However, he resigned nearly 2 years before completing his tenure.

Following the political changeover on August 5, 2024, several political parties, including the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, demanded his removal. Several movements were also held over the demand after the mass uprising. The interim government did not remove him, citing constitutional reasons, and the issue later subsided.

After the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) formed the government following its victory in the National Parliament election on February 12, discussions over replacing the president resurfaced.

BNP leaders said in March that the matter had not been discussed within the party because the president still had time remaining in his tenure. News of Shahabuddin's resignation emerged 4 months later.