Former Ally of Sheikh Hasina, Mohammad Shahabuddin, Prepares to Resign as Bangladesh President
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Following the announcement by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, currently in exile, that she will return to Bangladesh from India, President Mohammad Shahabuddin is preparing to resign from his position.
Shahabuddin is a former close ally of Hasina. He assumed office as president in 2023.
A few days ago, Sheikh Hasina told Reuters in an interview that she plans to return to Bangladesh. Shortly thereafter, reports emerged about Shahabuddin’s potential resignation.
In 2024, Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia for allegedly suppressing a student-led movement which resulted in severe violence. During the peak of the protests, she fled to India.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which came to power in the recent election, have reportedly been pressuring Shahabuddin to step down.
Speaker Returning Home to Receive President’s Resignation
A senior official stated that Shahabuddin plans to submit his resignation to the Speaker of Parliament.
The Speaker, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who was in Thailand for medical treatment, is curtailing his visit and is expected to return home by Friday.
Sources indicate Shahabuddin may cite health reasons in his resignation letter.
Shahabuddin’s spokesperson told Reuters that the president is expected to resign on Friday.
However, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed stated to reporters on Thursday that the government has not pressured the president, emphasizing that the constitution grants him the right to resign at any time.
What Sheikh Hasina Said
Image Source, Reuters
Earlier this month, Hasina told Reuters in an interview that she and her aides will return from exile in India and appear in Bangladeshi courts.
Last year, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal convicted her for authorizing the use of lethal force against protesters during the 2024 movement, which reportedly resulted in at least 1,400 deaths.
The case against Sheikh Hasina proceeded in her absence, leading to a death sentence.
Following Hasina’s ousting, her party, the Awami League, was politically banned, with many of its leaders imprisoned.
“There is severe repression against my party’s leaders and activists,” she told Reuters.
“If I die, I will do so in my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was spilled.”
Possible Reasons Behind the President’s Resignation
After the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, many senior officials from her administration were removed from their posts.
President Shahabuddin remains one of Hasina’s few loyalists still in power.
In December, Shahabuddin told Reuters he was considering stepping down due to being “insulted” after his photos were removed from Bangladeshi embassies and consulates abroad by the interim government.
However, he indicated he would remain in office until elections were held and would leave the decision to the incoming government.
The parliamentary election in February resulted in a victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which maintained Shahabuddin as president.
Should Shahabuddin resign, a new presidential election must be held within 90 days.