Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin May Resign Amid Reports of Reconnection with Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin may resign nearly two years before completing his term, with political sources and media reports suggesting a possible change in the presidency. A senior BNP leader said that Shahabuddin could step down soon, but did not provide further details. The possibility of his resignation emerged after several Bangladeshi media organisations reported that discussions were underway over appointing a new president. Shahabuddin remains the only constitutional figure from the former Awami League government still holding office after the student-led uprising in July–August 2024 that led to Sheikh Hasina ’s ouster. Hasina moved to India on August 5, 2024, and has remained there since. According to a senior government source, authorities were unhappy with allegations that Shahabuddin had recently sought to reconnect with Hasina. A BNP leader said the reported contact between the president and Hasina was not the only factor behind the possible resignation. The leader added that the situation involved broader political considerations, particularly after Hasina announced plans to return to Bangladesh. Hasina had earlier said she would return to Bangladesh in December. The government welcomed the decision, but maintained that she would have to face legal proceedings. The Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), on November 17, 2025, sentenced Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death in absentia for their alleged involvement in suppressing the protests that later came to be known as the “July Uprising”. A former lower judiciary judge and a 1971 Liberation War veteran, Shahabuddin became Bangladesh’s president in April 2023 for a five-year term. According to the Constitution of Bangladesh, if the president resigns, Parliamentary Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed will take charge as interim president until a new head of state is elected. Established in 2010 by the Hasina-led government, the International Crimes Tribunal was initially set up to prosecute those accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War. Under Muhammad Yunus’s interim administration, amendments were made to the tribunal’s law to bring former Awami League leaders and officials under its jurisdiction for alleged crimes against humanity.