Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has resigned from his position, with the Speaker of the national Parliament accepting his resignation letter. Shahabuddin, who took office in April 2023, decided to step down almost two years before his tenure was set to end in April 2028. Citing health issues, Shahabuddin explained his resignation to Bangladesh’s leading newspaper ‘The Daily Star’.
His resignation followed reports of a telephonic conversation between Shahabuddin and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while he was in London for medical treatment in May this year. Intelligence agencies reportedly discovered this conversation, leading to the President’s resignation. Despite this, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader suggested that the situation prompting the resignation was more complex than just the reported phone call.
After the ouster of the Hasina-led Awami League government during the July 2024 protests, Shahabuddin’s presidency became a subject of ongoing political debate in Bangladesh. This development occurs amidst the BNP-led government’s increased crackdown on Awami League-affiliated leaders. Shahabuddin had previously claimed that there were efforts to remove him from office during the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s term.
