Bangladesh sets August 20 presidential poll after Shahabuddin quits

Bangladesh will elect a new president on August 20 after Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on health grounds. The vote triggers a constitutional transition while the acting president oversees the post temporarily.

In Short

• Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned on July 24, citing health complications before term ended
• Voting will be held at Jatiya Sangsad session hall from afternoon
• Nomination papers are due on August 13, with scrutiny from August 16

Bangladesh will hold its presidential election on August 20, the Election Commission announced on Thursday, after President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned from office nearly two years before the end of his term.

The election was called after Shahabuddin, a longtime ally of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, stepped down on July 24, citing health complications. His resignation also came amid speculation that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government was uncomfortable with the largely titular head of state.

Election Commission Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting will take place from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on August 20 at the Jatiya Sangsad session hall. According to the schedule, nomination papers must be submitted at the office of the Chief Election Commissioner between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on August 13, while scrutiny of nomination papers will begin at 10:00 am on August 16.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature is 4:00 pm on August 18. State-run BSS news agency quoted Ahmed as saying that the poll schedule was announced after discussions with Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, who is serving as Acting President for 90 days under the Constitution. He also said the voter list has been prepared and the remaining administrative procedures will be completed before the election.

Shahabuddin, a 1971 Liberation War veteran and former lower judiciary judge, took oath in April 2023 for a five-year term. He had been elected president by the previous parliament and was the only person still holding his constitutional position after the violent July-August 2024 student-led street protests that toppled Hasina's Awami League government.

Some reports had claimed that Shahabuddin contacted Hasina over the phone, disappointing the top leadership of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The former president dismissed those reports as "baseless". Hasina fled to India and has been living there since August 5, 2024.

With the election now scheduled, Bangladesh will choose a new president on August 20 after Shahabuddin's resignation set in motion the constitutional process for filling the post.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends